Unexpected Reality
by PyrosPixie
Summary: Haruhi and Kamalei start life at Ouran Academy. When they stumble upon the Host Club and they're mistaken for boys, their life takes a strange path. Learning about their new friends and the new world around them will bring adventure and drama for sure. To top it all off a figure from the past throws in a few unexpected turns as well. How much will reality change for the two?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hey everyone! Thanks for trying out my story. I'm using a combination of the manga and anime as a basis for this. Some things will remain the same or at least similar. Others will change, especially after we get past the foundation chapters. The rating of every chapter will not be M, but as my plot moves forward the themes are not appropriate for everyone. Constructive criticism is appreciated. n.n **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it. **

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Footsteps echoed through the large halls of Ouran Academy. Two small teens approach the doors of Library 4. While opening the door the two are engulfed by the noise spilling from the library. Seeing many groups of people talking instead of studying brought a sigh of frustration from the teen with large glasses and shaggy brunette hair.

"This school has four libraries. You would think at least one would be quiet enough to study." The brunette said blandly looking to her raven haired companion. "Where to now, Kamalei?" Looking trough the long bangs that covered half her face, Kamalei gave a shrug.

"What about upstairs, Haruhi?"

Haruhi and Kamalei bound up the stairs. Haruhi wore a loose brown sweater and brown pants, while Kamalei wore a loose navy sweater and black pants. Carrying their books closely, they came across a large mahogany door with a sign reading 'Music Room 3.' Haruhi took the brass handle in her grip opening the door.

"Welcome!"

"Hey! It's a couple of boys!"

Haruhi and Kamalei took in the large room filled with several seating areas and famous art work, Music room 3 was magnificent. Their attention pulled to the large blue and cream oriental vase on display ten feet from the doors, then to a group of six boys. The boys were looking at the newcomers inquisitively. Both were staring like deer in headlights. The raven haired boy with sleek glasses glanced to the set of flame haired twins next to him.

"Hikaru, Kaoru. Aren't these two in your class?"

"Yes, but they are quiet and keep to themselves. So we don't know much about them." The amber eyed twins answered in sync. A sheen flew across the boy's glasses hiding his gray eyes.

"That wasn't very polite," he said smirking. "Hmm. Haruhi Fujioka and Kamalei Ichinose, they are the scholarship students that transferred this year." Haruhi and Kamalei stiffened.

"How do you know our names?" Haruhi asked shakily. Adjusting his glasses, the boy's smirk grew.

"How could I not? The Ouran Academy scholarship exam is nearly impossible to pass. So when someone, much less two commoners, has the audacity to pass. Let's just say people notice." Haruhi and Kamalei stood flabbergasted. Kamalei took a step behind Haruhi, as Haruhi's eyebrow started twitching. _Audacious, commoners..._

The small blonde holding a pink stuffed bunny approached leaving the blank faced giant with short spiked black hair and gray eyes shoulders. The small boy's brown eyes were wide in astonishment.

"Wow! Haru-chan, Kama-chan. You two are amazing!" Kamalei's face flushed.

"We're j-just honor st-students," she stuttered softly.

"Who are you calling Haru-chan?!" Haruhi yelled sending the small boy back to the giant.

"Now, now where are our manners?" The tall blonde with blue eyes spoke up. He stood with grace and confidence. "Here we have two new guests that need our attention. Although, it surprises me that honor students would be so openly gay."

_Gay?_ Haruhi twitched.

"It is our job as hosts to entertain our guests."

_Hosts?_ Kamalei blanched.

"Who are you people?!" Haruhi exclaimed. The blonde brushed his bangs out of his face.

"Ah yes, time for introductions! I am second year Tamaki Souh." Gesturing to the raven haired boy with glasses, "My fellow second year, Kyouya Ootori." Moving his gesture to the small blonde and the giant he continued, "They are third years Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka, also known as Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai." Pointing to the twins, "You already know first years Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. We are Ouran Academy's Host Club!" They struck a pose. Haruhi and Kamalei felt very uncomfortable. Kamalei tugged Haruhi's sweater. Haruhi turned seeing her friend's eyes frantically motioning towards the door. They were backing up, but Tamaki rounded behind them making Kamalei jump. "Eep!"

"So who will it be?" He questioned. "Kyouya, the cool type. Mori, the stoic type. Honey, the boy-lolita type. The twins, the little devil type or," leaning closer to them. "Me, the princely type?" Panicking Haruhi and Kamalei shuffled away.

"It's not what you think. We just wanted a quiet place to study!" Haruhi explained while shielding Kamalei.

"No need to be shy," Tamaki said stepping forward following them around the room. Kamalei took a misstep and fell backwards with a yelp. Haruhi tried to catch her, but was too late. CRASH! They looked to see broken blue and cream ceramic behind them.

"Now you've done it commoners." Hikaru started. "We were going to auction that off at the next antique show," Kaoru finished.

"Well, we're going to have to pay you back," Haruhi started, but was interrupted.

"With what money? That vase was worth roughly 8,000,000 yen." Kyouya stated nonchalantly. Kamalei's color started draining. Haruhi was calculating the numbers frantically on her fingers. THUD!

"Kamalei!" She cradled her friend's head in her lap.

"You can't even afford the school uniform. How will you pay us back?" The twins spouted.

"Well now, they will just have to pay us back with their bodies." Tamaki stated smoothly. The boys and Haruhi stared at him. _B-bodies?_ Haruhi's eyes widened.

"From this day forward you two will be the Host Club's dogs!" He declared pointing. Haruhi started swaying. _I don't think I can handle this._ The color drained from her as they stared. Honey slightly poked her causing her to fall, she was out cold. Kyouya adjusted his glasses, smirking. _Very interesting._ He jotted a note in his black notebook.

"Hikaru, Kaoru. Get the smelling salts; we have to get our… dogs ready for errands."

"Got it!" the twins saluted retrieving the smelling salts, waving them under the noses of the fainted two. Kamalei sat up groaning holding her head in her hands as she heard Haruhi waking up.

"Hey commoners, stand up." They stated together in a mirrored motion. Kamalei looked to Haruhi, who nodded standing up. Kyouya walked over handing Kamalei a list. She blinked as Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"As the errand dogs, you will take care of the club to pay back your debt until you graduate. Here are things that need to be restocked."

"Yes, Kyouya-sempai," Haruhi sighed. She grabbed Kamalei and left for the convenience store.

Kamalei pushed the shopping cart through the aisles while Haruhi grabbed the items on the list.

"So, we're running errands for this, *sigh* Host Club until we graduate?" she asked trying to grasp their situation.

"Unless we find another way to pay them back, we're stuck." Haruhi confirmed. Kamalei pinched the bridge of her nose. _I guess it could be worse._

The girls finished the shopping and returned to the now busy room. A group of squealing girls brought their attention to the twins. They posed symmetrically waiting for their guests to calm down.

"Hikaru, why do you tease me so?" Kaoru asked softly with tears in his eyes. Hikaru held Kaoru's chin tilting it to look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, you're just so cute. I can't help myself."

"Brotherly love! Moe!" the guests' squealed. Kamalei held the paper bag to hide her grimace. _So noisy…how are they falling for this rubbish?_ She glanced at Haruhi, who looked as if the same thought was crossing her mind. Kyouya came up writing in his notebook startling Kamalei.

"You're wondering how this can be so popular." Kyouya chuckled as Kamalei squeaked jumping. "It's simple really. We just play to their fantasies."

"No offense, sempai, but I just don't get it." Haruhi said heading to the kitchen area. Kamalei followed placing the bag on the counter.

"This is weird," Kamalei whispers.

"Hn," Mori hummed as he and Honey walked in. Kamalei looked away flustered. _Opps. _

"Would you guys like some cake?" Honey offered cutely. Kamalei quickly shook her head in the negative.

"I don't really like sweets." Haruhi replied. Honey held out his bunny looking at Haruhi and Kamalei with his big brown eyes.

"What about Usa-chan? You wanna hold Usa-chan?" Kamalei blushed lightly at the pink bunny. _Awe._

"It is kinda cute, huh?" Haruhi said studying the bunny. Honey's eyes got bigger looking between the two of them. He smiled giving Usa-chan to Kamalei and ran to his guests sitting on the couch across from where Mori was headed.

"Take good care of Usa-chan for me!" he called giggling like a child. Kamalei and Haruhi looked at the scene of cooing girls.

"Well that's not something you see every day," Kamalei giggled. Haruhi smiled, agreeing.

"Oh piglets?" Tamaki sang, "Come here a moment will you?" The girls walked over to Tamaki's sitting area.

"What is it, sempai?" Haruhi asked.

"I would like you to introduce yourselves to some of our guests." He motioned to the ladies surrounding him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Kamalei said giving a bow.

"Yes, it is." Haruhi copied smiling. Tamaki stared at them; the wheels in his head were turning.

"I'm going to turn you two into gentlemen!" he burst out as he set his fist on top of his palm.

"I don't know boss," Hikaru started. "They don't exactly look the part," Kaoru finished as he and Hikaru peered from their chairs.

"Yes, yes. You're right, but under that hair and those glasses we just might have some potential." Tamaki reasoned. The twins walked over to Haruhi taking her glasses. Their eyes widened and they grabbed Kamalei. She squeaked flushing as they parted her bangs. Tamaki looked over the twins shoulders and started barking orders.

"Hikaru, Kaoru! Get uniforms! Mori-sempai, go get some contacts! Kyouya, call my hair stylist! Honey-sempai..." Tamaki paused.

"Yes, sir?" Honey asked excitedly.

"Go have some cake!" Tamaki finished. Honey moped at a table having tea and cake with Usa-chan while the other hosts moved into action. Haruhi and Kamalei were taken into the whirlwind. Their hair was cut and styled. Contacts were given to Haruhi as the twins were ushering them to the changing area. Shoving the uniforms into their arms the twins rushed Haruhi and Kamalei.

"Put these on!" the twins shouted. Kamalei and Haruhi pushed them out of the curtain.

"Ok, ok! But you two have to get out!" Haruhi ordered. The twins hopped to a stop catching their balance. Glancing at the curtain and back to each other they hummed in realization. A few moments later the curtain opened and the club grew quiet. The curtain had revealed the two looking very stylish with their hair tamed and new blue Ouran Academy blazers and black slacks.

"Is it really alright for us to keep these uniforms, sempai?" Haruhi asked Tamaki with innocent brown eyes. Kamalei looked at the hosts with shy ocean blue eyes.

"Why didn't you say something? We would have helped you sooner if we know you looked like this." The twins stated.

"Haru-chan and Kama-chan are cute!" Honey grinned. Mori nodded. Kyouya wrote in his notebook.

"Tamaki is making you both hosts. Get 500 guests to request you each and your debt will be settled." Kamalei and Haruhi blanched.

"H-hosts!" Kamalei stuttered blushing.

"Yes, I will teach you everything I know and you will both become perfect gentlemen for our beautiful young ladies." Tamaki started rambling on and on about the duties of a host and the happiness of their guests. Kamalei and Haruhi looked at each other looking for the right word to describe their sempai. He moved his body around with graceful flare as the word clicked.

"Obnoxious!" They said in unison. This halted Tamaki and sent him to a corner in gloom. Hikaru and Kaoru saw this and snickered.

"You're amazing alright! One word knock out!" Kamalei felt bad for upsetting Tamaki.

"We didn't mean to bruise his ego." She whispered. The twins just grinned and hung their arms over her making her blush.

"You did strike a small cord with me though." Haruhi said after some thought. Tamaki bounced back, his ego restored.

"Of course I did. I am after all, the king."

"That was fast." Kamalei stated. Tamaki pulled her from the twins as he wrapped his arms over her and Haruhi's shoulders. He walked them to a set of tables with guests waiting for them. Then he returned to his own guests not too far away. Kamalei and Haruhi looked to each other and shrugged. _I guess it couldn't hurt, _Haruhi thought.

"Hello ladies, would you like some tea?" She offered as she sat across from two giggling girls. Kamalei took her lead and followed suit with her own two guests.

"So what are your hobbies?"

"Do you like sweets?"

"Why did you join host club?" All these questions and more were thrown at Kamalei and Haruhi. They answered at best they could while flattering the ladies as well. Kamalei was flustered at first having blushed and stuttered a number of answers. The girls at her table were staring at her with stars in their eyes.

"Kamalei, you're so handsome." They cooed.

"O-oh, y-you really think so?" Kamalei swallowed looking to her lap to play up her shyness. For some reason the shier she acted the more the girls cooed and giggled. _Oh my gosh, this is too much attention!_

"I think you ladies are l-lovely." She looked at them with a soft smile.

"He's so cute!" the girls squealed. Haruhi started reminiscing about her mother when her guests asked her about her home life.

"Isn't doing all the house work hard on you?" one of the girls asked.

"Sure, but I enjoy helping out. Plus, I get to try to replicate my mother's cooking. It's a nice way to keep her memory alive." Haruhi smiled and the girls swooned. The other hosts watched from their respective areas, their guests gone for the day. Tamaki got up and loomed over Kamalei and Haruhi, his face in shadow, as they bid farewell to their guests.

"Can we sit with you two tomorrow?" the girls asked shyly. Haruhi and Kamalei beamed.

"That would really help us out!" Haruhi said happily.

"Thank you so much!" Kamalei said softly. She and Haruhi bowed earning more cooing from their guests while they left. Tamaki's head shot up when the door closed. He was brimming with happiness. He grabbed Haruhi and Kamalei twirling them around.

"You did great, fantastic, marvelous! I'm so proud of you!" Kamalei and Haruhi became so dizzy their eyes were spinning. Haruhi caught a glimpse of Mori.

"Mori-sempai, help!" Mori shot up and lifted the two out of Tamaki's arms. He froze a second staring at them. _So dainty._ It clicked as he placed them carefully on their feet. Kamalei was flushed.

"Thank you," she whispered. Mori nodded and ruffled her hair.

"You didn't have to take it that far Mori-sempai…" Tamaki stood pouting.

"You were a little out of control, Boss." The twins pointed out.

"They did so wonderfully. I couldn't help myself." Tamaki explained.

"Kamalei's shy demeanor is an obvious hit with our customers and Haruhi is a natural." Kyouya observed taking notes.

"Yeah, no training needed." The twins shrugged like it was no big deal. The guests were gone and it was time to clean up. Haruhi and Kamalei knew they were expected to pick up the tea sets.

"Let's go change, so we don't dirty our uniforms." Kamalei suggested. They left to the changing area.

"Haru-chan and Kama-chan did really good, don't you think Takashi?"

"Hn." Mori nodded affirmatively, a tiny curve tugging the corners his mouth.

"There are a few things I want to go over with them," Tamaki announced walking to the changing area. "Haruhi, Kama-" Tamaki opened the curtain causing Kamalei to squeak in surprise. She had her arms wrapped around her chest. Tamaki froze. Haruhi was wearing a camisole and Kamalei was covering a bra. Tamaki blinked and shut the curtain. He turned around wide eyed.

"Th-th-they're girls!" He stuttered in surprise. The others looked at him knowingly.

"Well biologically speaking, yes." Haruhi stated as she and a very flushed Kamalei came out of the changing area. "I don't really care if you treat me as a girl or a boy."

"Gender doesn't matter, what's on the inside is what really counts." Kamalei added softly.

"B-b-bu-bu…" Tamaki stuttered as he flushed from the neck up. Kyouya shut his notebook smirking. _Very interesting, indeed._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it.**

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Noriko stood at the stove cooking breakfast while humming an upbeat tune. Her long black hair lightly swayed as she danced. She smiled musing over the stories Kamalei and Haruhi had told her. They had had an interesting month, but were adjusting well. The fact that they had to keep their gender a secret threw her for a loop until they explained about the broken vase. _New school, new experiences…no matter how strange._ She sighed rolling her blue eyes. Soft footsteps approached.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Mom." Kamalei replied. Another set of footsteps padded through the hall.

"Good morning, Haruhi."

"Good morning, Auntie." Haruhi sat and ate with Kamalei.

"Any interesting escapades planned today?" Noriko asked smiling. The girls both sweat dropped.

"I hope not, it's supposed to be a free day." Haruhi stated.

"We're planning to head to the library to study." Kamalei smiled happy to have time away from the Host club. There hadn't been a dull moment since that fateful day.

"It will be nice to finally have a day for ourselves." Haruhi mused. Don't get them wrong, it had been interesting and fun for the most part. They could do without a certain sempai's idiot comments, but that was part of the fun too.

"Well, we're off." Haruhi grabbed her books and headed out the door. Kamalei followed suit waving goodbye to her mother.

They were half way to the library when a limo came around the corner. The girls paid no mind when the windows rolled down. As the limo was passing the girls, two sets of hands grabbed their shirt collars pulling them inside. Both girls screamed, but stopped when they heard a familiar laughter. The twins were laughing hysterically.

"You should have seen your faces!" Hikaru exclaimed. Kamalei put her hand to her chest, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"Are you crazy!?" Haruhi glared at the redheaded devils. Kaoru and Hikaru hugged each other in sudden fear.

"I-it was j-just a j-joke." Kaoru stuttered out, waiting for the pain. Haruhi balled her hands and hit them both on the head with a huff.

"So to what do we owe this… abduction?" Kamalei questioned. Hikaru and Kaoru recovered immediately getting excited.

"We're going to a water park!" They chimed bouncing in their seat.

"We were going to study." Haruhi stated with a frustrated sigh.

"Awe! Come on," Kaoru started. "We want to play!" Hikaru finished. Kamalei giggled at the twins begging Haruhi to loosen up. She pulled Haruhi by the shoulder whispering in her ear.

"We could play for a bit and then go study. You know they won't stop until we say yes." Haruhi met Kamalei's calm eyes knowing she was right.

"But it's our day off!" Haruhi whisper whined.

"I know, but-"

"Whatcha talking about?" The twins interrupted, startling Kamalei. "Eep!"

Kaoru chuckled while he and Hikaru leaned closely towards the girls smiling like the cats who got the cream. Kamalei flushed at their closeness.

"We w-were discussing g-going," she whimpered.

"Please!" The twins drew out making puppy eyes.

"Oh all right." Haruhi gave in.

"Yay!" The twins burst and rambled on about Kyouya's family's new water park and how the hosts were going to be the first to see it.

"Wow," Kamalei was nearly speechless at their surroundings. It was beautiful. They were in a huge dome structure with a tropical atmosphere. The sky was perfectly blue, the air was warm, and there were tropical plants as far as the eye could see. Kyouya welcomed them while writing in his notebook.

"I thought your family owned hospitals, Kyouya-sempai?" Haruhi asked curiously.

"Well, that is true, but this could be considered a medical facility dedicated to those who are in need of stress relief. It is quite therapeutic. Consider those who do not have time to take a vacation or those who cannot afford to fly to the tropics. They can come here and get the relaxation they need. My family likes to differentiate, you know. After all we care for nothing more than our clients' well being." He gave a small smirk as a glare flew across his glasses. _Somehow I think that's only half true,_ Haruhi thought.

Kamalei was too caught up in the atmosphere to see the twins coming as they grabbed her and Haruhi heading toward the changing rooms. "Eep!"

"What's going on?" Haruhi was struggling against Hikaru's grip. He and Kaoru pushed the girls to their maids.

"Do what you must." They stated nonchalantly.

"Yes masters," the maids replied dragging the girls into the changing room.

"We brought our mother's latest swim suit collection. Pick out whatever you like." They called trough the door. Tamaki saw the girls being dragged off and came behind the twins. They listened to the commotion going on in the changing room.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"Undressing you, so you can change." One maid replied.

"This would look wonderful on you." The other maid stated.

"Oh no. Please, not a bikini."

"Please don't touch me there." Kamalei softly pleaded. Tamaki kept leaning closer and closer turning redder and redder.

"What about this one?" the maids asked.

"B-but that's no m-more than a couple of str-strings!" Both girls stuttered. That caused Tamaki to faint.

"You're such a pervert, boss." The twins tsked. They left him there deciding to change into their own suits. Haruhi came out first. She wore a pink one piece with white ruffles on her hips, buttons on the top, and a swim cap accented with a bow to match. She looked at Tamaki on the ground. He was red and had blood coming from his nose. _I don't want to know,_ she thought as Kamalei made her way out. Kamalei wore a dark blue one piece halter with a diamond cut out above her chest and horizontal stripes accenting her tiny waist.

"Oh my gosh! Sempai, are you alright?" Kamalei kneeled by Tamaki freaking out over his condition. He was out cold. Haruhi shrugged not knowing what happened.

"Haru-chan, Kama-chan!" Honey chirped happy to see them. "You look cute!" He complemented while sitting on Mori's shoulders. Mori nodded in agreement. Kamalei blushed and Haruhi scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Thanks." Haruhi said as Honey catapulted from Mori's back.

"Tama-chan's just taking a nap. He'll be fine." Honey said offering his hand to Kamalei. When she took it, he grasped Haruhi's hand as well and pulled them towards the pool. "Let's play!" Mori watched a toucan fly by and followed.

"Watch this," Honey said while riding on Mori's back in the water. "No matter how much we swim we stay in the same place because of the current!" He explained while the girls dipped their feet in as they sat on the edge. The twins snuck out with water guns and sprayed the girls.

"Eep!" Kamalei squeaked jumping, causing her to fall into the pool.

"I'm going to get you back for that," Haruhi threatened getting up to chase them. The twins ran away smirking.

"Kama-chan!" Honey worried if she could swim. Kamalei surprised him and Mori by swimming fast enough against the current to catch up to them. She just sent them a smile while she swam. Wow, Kama-chan! You swim really well!" She giggled to herself and let her competitive side surface. She gave a challenging look to Mori. He nodded with a small smile. They both swam faster trying to see who could pull ahead. The twins halted to watch the race. Forgetting Haruhi was chasing them.

"Hot damn, she's fast!" They gawked. Haruhi took the opportunity to get her own water gun and readied her aim.

"Go Kamalei!" she cheered while she sprayed the twins, causing them to jump and yelp.

"Go Takashi!" Honey cheered smiling.

Tamaki woke up in a lawn chair underneath the shade of an umbrella. He groaned rubbing his hand over his face.

"Ah, so you finally came to." Kyouya stated from the lawn chair next to his. He was drinking lemonade while watching their companions. Tamaki ran his fingers through his hair embarrassed he had passed out. He looked around watching the others play. He noticed Haruhi and Kamalei's swim suits and switched to daddy mode.

"How dare you dress up my little girls like this!" Tamaki waved his arms in the air and lunged for the twins. Hikaru and Kaoru smirked pumping their guns with glints in their eyes.

"You know they look awesome," they sang. "You just want them to yourself, pervert!"

Tamaki froze exclaiming, "It's not like that!" The twins took the opportunity and sprayed him in the face laughing.

Haruhi sat under an umbrella drinking coconut juice as she watched the scene play out. Mori walked over trying to get the water out of his ears.

"Taking a break?" she inquired looking to see Kamalei calmly swimming on her back next to Honey who was floating in his pink bunny tube.

"Hn." He nodded.

"Want a drink?"

"Yeah." He reached for the glass she was offering. Tamaki and the twins were making a huge commotion running back and forth across the pool area. Tamaki slipped on a banana peel flying toward a totem pole in the center of what looked like a control center. The twins paused and stared. He slammed into the totem pole and strange noises started as the eyes on each head of the totem lit up red. Kyouya was watching carefully. Mori turned staring down the current pool and dropped the drink. Haruhi noticed as he took a defensive stance. _What the…_ Out of nowhere a massive wave came and swept Honey and Kamalei away.

"Mitsukuni!" Mori called as he chased the wave.

"Kamalei!" Haruhi yelled worried following Mori.

"We can get to them using that pool," Tamaki observed.

"I wouldn't go that way," Kyouya started as they ran finding alligators everywhere.

"That's dangerous!" the twins exclaimed running away with the others. Kyouya looked at the park map looking for the best route.

"The wild life is a slight issue, but Tamaki uncovered a big problem with the control panel. Thanks guys, I got some great data today." He smiled closing his notebook.

"Say what?!" the group sweat dropped.

"The best route is through the jungle, but there are still some undeveloped areas. There's no telling what we might find." Kyouya continued as if there was nothing wrong with using his friends as guinea pigs.

Tamaki nodded, "Well, we best stay as a group then." Haruhi's mind was going a mile a minute worrying for Kamalei and Honey. _I hope they're alright._ Mori walked ahead of everyone a bit out of it and slipped on a banana peel.

"Mori-sempai's acting like the boss!" the twins were freaking out. _Mori is worried,_ Haruhi thought. They sought shelter as it started to rain. Tamaki and the twins huddled speaking worriedly about Mori. Kyouya stood to the side on his phone.

"Mori-sempai, I bet he's alright. Honey-sempai is a lot tougher than he looks and if he gets hungry there are bananas in the trees." Haruhi approached Mori trying to comfort him with her words. Mori looked at Haruhi for a moment then smiled while he ruffled her hair.

"You're right." The rain came to an end. Mori and Haruhi stepped out to continue the search unbeknownst to the others as they listened to Kyouya's phone conversation.

"Yes, we've had an incident and could use some assistance. Two of our friends were swept into the jungle. A small boy and a girl. Yes. Yes, thank you." Kyouya ended the call. "I think it would be best to wait here until my family's police shows up." The others agreed, but then Hikaru noticed Haruhi was missing.

"Where's Haruhi?" Hikaru asked looking around. Tamaki gaped.

"Looks like she left with Mori-sempai." Kaoru stated. Tamaki lost color.

"My little girls…"

Kyouya adjusted his glasses, "I forgot to mention that there are others here as well. Hmm, it should be fine." He shrugged. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru stared at him as their eyebrows twitched.

"How do you forget something like that?!"

The police force assembled into squadrons for the search. "A small boy and girl are missing on the premises. Take out all unknown, suspicious characters to ensure their safety." The order echoed over their headsets as the squadrons embarked into the jungle guns ready.

Kamalei woke up at the base of a tree. She groaned rubbing the bump on the back of her head. _What happened?_ A flash of Honey and herself getting swept into a giant wave swirled through her mind. _Oh yeah…jeez I'm really dizzy._ The world felt like it was spinning around her as she tried to stand. She braced herself on the trunk of the tree as she looked around for any sign of Honey. Not seeing him anywhere, she steadied herself ready to look for him. A rustling sound came from above her. She looked up. "Kyaa!"

Mori and Haruhi bolted toward the scream.

"That was Kamalei," Haruhi prayed for her friend's safety as she tried to keep up with Mori. She was clumsy though, tripping on roots. Mori came behind her and picked her up. "Mori-sempai?"

He just held on to her and ran, "You should be more careful, Haruhi." She blushed, _he said my name._ Hearing it pleased her, but she focused on the trees ahead.

"I see her. Oh my gosh, Kamalei!" Haruhi called as she saw Kamalei wrapped in the coils of a boa constrictor. _What the hell, Kyouya?! _Mori grabbed the snake by the head and unwrapped Kamalei from its deathly grip. She gasped for air as Haruhi held her up. _Thank goodness._ Mori threw the snake far away and cradled the barely conscious girl in his arms. Before they could take a step, they were surrounded by men in black uniforms who pointed automatic guns directly at them.

"Give us the girl and no one gets hurt." One of the men announced before he spoke into the microphone on his head set. "We found two girls and a man, follow our signal." He bore into Mori and ordered his men, "Get the girl he's carrying." Mori's grip on Kamalei tightened. The men tried to take her, but Mori spun and kicked them to the ground. The other men started closing on Mori, but Honey swung down on a vine and took an offensive stance. Honey thoroughly beat the men until none were standing. His martial arts skills were incredible. Haruhi was amazed.

"Takashi, Haru-chan, Kama-chan!" Honey smiled brightly. The others ran to them having found them using the signal from Kyouya's family's police.

"Thank goodness my little girls are alright!" Tamaki lunged to hug Haruhi, but she stepped to the side causing him to land in the dirt.

"Whoa, Honey-sempai must have been holding back to only cause this much damage." Kaoru stated in awe. Haruhi froze.

"Holding back?" she asked wide eyed.

"Yeah, he's the current champion in both judo and karate. Mori-sempai is the kendo champion." Hikaru told her as she gaped like a fish.

"Good job protecting Kama-chan and Haru-chan," Honey beamed at Mori. "You must've been pretty lonely without me though, huh?"

Mori glanced at Haruhi, "I wouldn't say that." Kyouya checked Kamalei's vitals. He confirmed she was alright. Haruhi stayed by Kamalei as they walked to the exit.

"Hey, Haruhi?" Kamalei said weakly. "Next time, they want up to play at a water park, let's go to the beach instead." She cracked a smile.

"Yeah, definitely." Haruhi giggled.

"Oh! A family vacation on the beach, I can just see it now!" Tamaki gushed.

"Yay, beach time!" The twins chimed. Kyouya smirked; a gleam flew across his glasses. _A very profitable idea._

* * *

**Author's note: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to see this chapter's drawing, you can see it here: art/Chapter2scene-527251817 Thanks for reading! n.n **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any art I create in association with it.**

* * *

It was Golden Week; the sun was shining and the ocean glittering. Haruhi and Kamalei were sitting under an umbrella as they watched the guests of the Host Club enjoy the sun. They both wore board shorts and t-shirts to hide their maidenly figures; Kamalei in rustic red and Haruhi in navy blue.

"We should have known the shadow king would turn this into something for money." Hikaru said exasperatedly. The twins sighed changing their stare from Kyouya to Haruhi and Kamalei. "But now Haruhi and Kamalei can't wear their swim suits!" Kaoru whined letting out a growl. Tamaki patted them on the shoulders.

"My little girls shouldn't be in their cute swim suits in front of you perverts anyways. It is my duty as their father to protect them, right mommy?!" Tamaki stated smugly.

"Leave me out of this," Kyouya replied blandly while typing on his laptop.

"I've got it all planned out! After the guests leave we will have daddy daughter time!" Tamaki clapped excitedly with stars in his eyes. Tamaki entered his mind theater where Kamalei and Haruhi were wearing sundresses as they walked in the water holding his hands.

"Oh daddy, this is so fun!" Haruhi smiled brightly. Kamalei giggled pulling them into a run down the shore in the light of the setting sun. Tamaki sighed smiling as he came back to reality.

The twins stared at Tamaki strangely, and noticed Haruhi glaring at the back of his head.

"Uh, boss…" they warned pointing. Tamaki turned his head to see daggers pouring from Haruhi's eyes.

"You are NOT our father!" Haruhi said sternly. Tamaki lost color as his soul came out. She shook her head and headed back to Kamalei. Some of the girls were talking with her. Kamalei smiled shyly at them when they asked her to swim with them.

"Oh no, I'm too embarrassed to take off my shirt." Kamalei blushed for effect.

"So cute!" The girls cooed. "What about you, Haruhi?"

"I'm not a swimmer, but I do love watching." Haruhi replied.

"Then shall we watch with you?"

"Why? You go on. It's really cute, finally seeing you in your swimsuits." Haruhi gave them her natural smile. The girls blushed with hearts in their eyes.

"He's right, it would be a waste. Besides, s-seeing you ladies happy make m-me happy." Kamalei gave a shy smile as she looked up. The girls cooed and squealed. Tamaki and the twins watched slightly annoyed.

"They shouldn't be so good at that," Kaoru sighed.

"No, kidding." Tamaki ground his teeth.

"No need to be jealous, they haven't taken all of your guests," Kyouya stated passively. "Yet…" He added with a smirk. Tamaki blanched while the twins snickered.

Mori and Honey walked along the shore carrying buckets. They headed towards Haruhi, Kamalei, and their guests. The girls were splashing in the water while Kamalei tossed a beach ball with them. Haruhi saw the two sempai.

"Hey Mori-sempai, Honey-sempai!" Haruhi waved.

"Haru-chan! Want to come shellfish hunting?" Honey grinned and waved.

"I don't think this is that kind of bea- whoa!" Haruhi was surprised to see the beach littered with crabs, clams, and scallops. _Where did they all come from?_

"Come on Haru-chan, it will be fun!"

"Yeah!" Haruhi smiled and grabbed a bucket. She was beaming with happiness. _Just think of all the fancy food we'll have for dinner!_

Mori was perplexed. This wasn't that kind of beach. He peaked over the rocks hearing something. The Ootori police force was releasing a bounty of shellfish on the beach. When they saw him, he raised a brow in question.

"Morinozuka-sama, this is an apology for causing trouble two weeks ago for you and Haninozuka-sama." The squad leader explained. Mori nodded and went back to Honey and Haruhi. He smiled at their excitement.

"It's a major haul! Dinner's gonna be awesome!" Haruhi shouted to the others as she pointed to the small mountain of shellfish behind her and Honey. Tamaki and the twins gushed at how cute she was. Kamalei walked with the girls to get a closer look. Tamaki held up a crab.

"You like crabby crabs, Haruhi?" He moved the legs and a centipede crawled into sight.

"CETIPEDE!" Everyone, but Haruhi, Kamalei, Kyouya, and Mori ran away from Tamaki screaming. Kamalei slapped her hand to her mouth trying to suppress her laughter. Haruhi simply picked it up and tossed it into the bushes. Hikaru and Kaoru blinked and each hung an arm over Haruhi.

"Not that we thought you were a bug lover or anything," Hikaru started. "But couldn't you have at least been kind enough to let it go on the grass?" Kaoru finished.

"It won't die because of something like that." Haruhi shrugged. The girls gushed about Haruhi's manliness. The twins stared. _Hmm…is there anything that frightens her?_

"What's so funny, Kama-chan?" Honey asked trying to see her face. Kamalei was almost doubled over trying to stop laughing. She took a deep breath.

"Sorry, it's just your faces were priceless." She explained. The twins raised their brows. _She wasn't affected either…_ An evil grin crossed the twins' faces as they came up with an idea.

"Hey boss, we have a new game to play." Hikaru said as he and Kaoru huddled with Tamaki. "It's called the 'who can find out what Haruhi and Kamalei are scared of game!'" Kaoru smirked.

"That sounds terrible-" Tamaki started, but was interrupted.

"You're right. Besides they would only share that information with someone they're really close to." The twins said in sync with a gleam in their eyes. Tamaki got flustered.

"I'll do it!" he blurted out.

"What should the winner get?" Hikaru inquired in thought.

"How about these pictures of Haruhi and Kamalei from middle school?" Kyouya offered holding three photos up; the first of the girls in gym, the second in their uniforms, and the third in party dresses.

"I wanna play too!" Honey called.

"Hn," Mori nodded.

"It's settled then, the first one to find out their fears gets the photos!" The twins confirmed while Tamaki tried to get a peek.

"Where did you get those?" Tamaki asked.

"I have my sources." Kyouya said cryptically.

The boys drug Haruhi, Kamalei, and the girls all over the beach trying different tactics. Ghost stories, darkness, sharp objects, enclosed spaces, heights, nothing phased the two targets; most of the time they were trying not to laugh at the girls reactions or when the guys scared themselves.

"This is no fun," Hikaru frowned. "There had to be something, this is getting ridiculous," Kaoru sighed. They were tiring of their own game.

"A python! Help me grab it!" Tamaki exclaimed as he looked through the trees. The twins sighed.

Haruhi and Kamalei were walking below the cliff enjoying the quiet away from the boys' antics.

"Haruhi, Kamalei, you should come up the view is great!" one of the girls yelled from the top of the cliff.

"Be careful, it's dangerous!" Haruhi yelled. The girls smiled at them, waving off the danger. A crunching sound caught their attention. Turning around the girls saw three local teens walking toward them.

"Hey, want to hang with us?" The one with shoulder length hair asked as he snaked his arm around one of the girl's shoulders. His friends followed suit trying to hang on the other girls. The girls tried to push the unwanted contact away to no avail.

"This is a private beach, you need to leave." A girl tried to command, but it came out softer and higher in pitch than she had hoped.

"Is that so?"

"Get off!"

"Come on, we'll show you a good time." The boys smirked at each other knowingly. They enjoyed striking fear into their prey.

Haruhi and Kamalei heard the struggle.

"Go get the guys!" Haruhi told Kamalei as she ran up the path to the cliff. Kamalei ran for the boys. _Be careful Hi-chan._

"They said, get off!" Haruhi shouted as she doused the unwanted guests with water from the bucket she had carried with her. The local boys let go of the girls in disbelief, the water dripping from their hair into their faces.

"What are you gonna do about it, shrimp?" one sneered.

"They don't like it, stop pestering them." Haruhi stood her ground as the locals surrounded her.

Kamalei sped toward the hosts and shouted.

"Guys! Trouble…*pant* the cliff…*pant* the girls and Haruhi…" she pointed while she tried to catch her breath. The boys' faces turned grim as they followed Kamalei, who had shot back toward the cliff. Kamalei saw what was about to happen and picked up speed.

"How about you go for a swim?" the locals pushed Haruhi to the edge. The girls were cowering, begging the intruders not to hurt Haruhi. The hosts' eyes widened as Kamalei dashed for Haruhi.

"Kamalei!" Tamaki yelled.

"Bye-bye," the locals laughed as they shoved Haruhi over the edge.

"Haruhi!" Kamalei screamed as she jumped past the locals and dove for her best friend. _Damn!_ She saw Haruhi go under head first. The hosts were shocked that Kamalei dove off the cliff. The twins were so angry that they were beating the locals half to death. Mori and Honey pulled them off and held them back as Kyouya called his family's police force with his eye twitching. Tamaki checked their guests over for injuries before they all rushed to the water.

Kamalei cradled Haruhi as they broke the surface. She swam them to shore, Mori met them half way. He picked Haruhi up and carried her out of the water. Kamalei followed with a scowl on her face. Kyouya covered Haruhi with a towel and wrapped another around Kamalei. Haruhi was knocked out from the impact.

"Take him to the house, his head hit first." Kamalei spoke curtly with a look that could kill. It caused shivers to go up everyone's spine. Kamalei had never acted like this with them before. She looked to where the police were and pushed past the group. The hosts stared dumbfounded as they watched their "shy" member ball her hands into shaking fists and punch the three responsible for Haruhi's current state. The locals and the police around them stared wide eyed at her. A dark aura poured off of her and lightning struck from her eyes. She growled lowly.

"Do you even realize what you could have done…" she got louder with every word. "YOU JACK ASSES COULD HAVE KILLED HARUHI!" Kamalei screamed loud enough the whole town probably heard. She took a breath and grabbed their collars pulling them close.

"If you fuckers ever show your faces to my friends or me again, I'll make sure you never have the ability to reproduce." She spoke quietly with deadly intent. The three shook as they watched her stalk toward the house. The hosts were speechless, they couldn't believe their eyes_._ *Blink-blink, blink… blink*

When they got inside Kamalei motioned for Mori to follow her. Her body was so stiff they thought it best not to speak. Kyouya took the guests to be sent home. Kamalei opened the door to her and Haruhi's room and showed Mori and the others to the sitting area. He placed Haruhi on the love seat and they all waited for her to come to. Kamalei knelt by her head and brushed the hair out of her face. Once Kyouya came back and took a seat Kamalei turned to look at her friends. Her eyes were soft again and she saw the group release a collective sigh of relief. Quirking her brow she wondered why they looked fearful. _Haruhi's fine, so why do they still look so frightened?_ Her eyes widened as she flushed from the neck up. _ Shit! I'm the reason!_

"I'm so sorry!" she blurted in a panic. The boys smiled softly. Honey was the first to speak.

"Kama-chan, it's alright. You just surprised us is all."

"We all have our quirks; you have nothing to be embarrassed about." Kyouya stated amused by her reaction. Mori nodded in agreement.

"It was nice to see a different side of you," Kaoru started. "Yeah, looks like we have another demon in our group." Hikaru chucked.

"You know what they say. If you can't be yourself with your friends, you need new friends." Tamaki grinned. Kamalei let out the breath she had been holding.

"Thanks guys," she smiled warmly. Tamaki, Honey, and the twins dove in to hug her.

"Awe!" they cooed. Kamalei returned the hug, but struggled to breathe.

"Air!" she gasped. Mori removed her breathing problem and the four smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

A few minutes later they heard a groan. Haruhi's eyes fluttered open to see everyone staring. Her cheeks colored slightly.

"Heh, sorry guys…" She felt bad for making them worry. _I didn't think they would push me off the cliff._

"What were you thinking? You should have waited for us!" Tamaki frowned as he scolded her. Haruhi was confused.

"I sent Kamalei to get you. I saw no reason to wait."

Tamaki's eyes flashed in anger. "You're a girl! You're not a karate master! Trying to face three men by yourself was foolish!" Haruhi sighed and locked eyes with Tamaki.

"I see your side of things sempai, but here's mine. Male or female, I'm not going to sit around when someone needs my help. Even knowing what could happen to me, I have to try. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I had sat there and one of the princesses got hurt. I'm sorry for causing you all to worry, but I will not apologize for doing something I don't regret." Tamaki pinched the bridge of his nose. _She has a point._ The other boys listened to the debate. At first, they all agreed with Tamaki, but Haruhi's point of view was an honorable one. Kamalei held a small smile at the group in front of her. _It's nice to know they care so much._

"You're right, but please be more careful if there is a next time." Tamaki implored letting go of his anger. The boys grunted in agreement.

"That goes for both of you." Kyouya added looking between their female companions. Haruhi and Kamalei glanced to each other before they looked back to their friends.

"We will," they answered in unison.

"Alright, that's settled. We're going to get cleaned up, so we'll see you in a bit." Kamalei said giving the boys the hint to leave.

"Yeah, us too! Come on Takashi." Honey and Mori ushered the others out. Kamalei waited until she heard the door close. She helped Haruhi stand and held her hands. Haruhi looked over her best friend. Kamalei's damp hair hung over her eyes as she bowed her head. Kamalei started to shake. Haruhi pulled her to her shoulder and whispered as she brushed her fingers through her hair.

"I'm alright. It's okay. I'm sorry, I scared you." Kamalei calmed under Haruhi's touch. She let out a shaky breath as she looked at Haruhi with tears in her eyes. Haruhi looked into her eyes and held a warm smile. "I'm okay, Lei-chan." Kamalei closed her eyes with a small smile.

"Alright, Hi-chan." They stood in each other's embrace basking in the comfort. Then Haruhi remembered all of that shellfish.

"Let's get ready for dinner!" Haruhi's mouth began to water. Kamalei laughed.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure it will be delicious."

"You got that right!" Haruhi couldn't contain her excitement as she dashed for the bathroom.

In the center of the large dining room was a long table with a white cloth covered in seafood dishes. There were steamed crabs, grilled scallops, oysters on the half shell, clams casino, and fancy tuna.

"Haru-chan is gonna love this!" Honey chimed happily while he ran around the room. Kyouya sat at the end of the table as he typed away on his laptop.

"So was anyone successful or did you lose the game?" he questioned.

"We lost, but we're not giving up!" the twins groaned in determined frustration. Kyouya smirked as Tamaki, Mori, and Honey shrugged their shoulders.

"Kao-chan, Hika-chan, I think we should leave it- Whoa!"

Haruhi and Kamalei entered the room wearing designer dresses. Haruhi's was light pink and maroon with a ruffle on the straps and the bottom of her skirt. Kamalei's was light blue and navy with a layered ruffle skirt. Honey ran up to the girls and Mori nodded in approval of their attire.

"Haru-chan, Kama-chan, you look cute!"

"I think our parents, most likely my dad, repacked our suitcases. He always wants us to wear this kind of thing." Haruhi explained.

"Way to go dad!" the twins gave the girls a thumbs up. Tamaki was off in la-la land. _My beautiful daughters…_

"Wait, Haruhi did you just say he repacked for both of you?" Hikaru inquired. She nodded. "But how? It's not like Kamalei lives with you." Kaoru stated.

"On the contrary, that's not entirely accurate." Kyouya rebutted. Haruhi and Kamalei snapped their attention to Kyouya. He simply adjusted his glasses and continued, "True, they do not share the same address, but they do in fact live together. They switch households according to which parent is home."

"But isn't that inconvenient?" the twins asked.

"Not really, their apartments are right next to each other." Kyouya finished. Haruhi's eyebrow twitched and Kamalei stared astounded.

"How did you know that?" Kamalei asked curiously. Kyouya shrugged.

"I have my sources." Haruhi bit her tongue, _damn rich bastard._

Tamaki decided to change the subject when his stomach made its protest known. "Come on everyone, let's eat!" he announced. They all sat and dug in. Haruhi's eyes had hearts in them as she looked over the food. They watched Haruhi take her first bite. Her eyes began to tear up as she savored the food. _It's delicious!_ Tamaki, Honey, and the twins started piling food onto her plate with haste.

"It's delicious, isn't it, my darling daughter?"

"Here try this!"

"Oh! This too!"

"Haru-chan take some of this!"

Kamalei giggled amused at Haruhi's love of food. Haruhi heard her and raised a brow.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, just you and your endearment with food." Kamalei smirked teasingly. Haruhi decided to tease her back.

"I'm no worse than you are over sweets." Haruhi smirked at Kamalei as she blushed.

"What's this? Our Kamalei has a sweet tooth?" the twins grinned.

"But I thought you didn't like sweets, Kama-chan?" Honey asked confused.

"No, that's me. She just tries to control herself around them. Otherwise she'd be just like you." Haruhi explained. Honey's eyes sparkled.

"Really?" he looked at Kamalei. She chewed her lip with her eyes cast to her plate embarrassed about her weakness. Kaoru looked to Hikaru with a mischievous smirk. They draped their arms over Kamalei's shoulders.

"You know, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked his twin. "What Hikaru?" Kaoru replied. "I think it would be fun to break her control." Hikaru and Kaoru's smirks grew. "But how?" Kaoru said coyly. "Maybe if we fed her?" Hikaru propositioned. "We should feed her, but like this…" Kaoru trailed off as he and Hikaru leaned into Kamalei's face with strawberries in their mouths. Kamalei squeaked and hid in her hands.

"Get away from my daughter, you perverts!" Tamaki yelled as he chased the laughing twins away.

"I-I-I'm gonna g-go now," Kamalei stammered before she left the table and headed outside. Honey and Mori followed her. Haruhi giggled, _sorry Lei-chan._ Once they finished eating the rest of the group decided to play rich man poor man.

Honey and Mori watched Kamalei while she sat on the beach and dug her toes in the sand. She looked up and watched the moon and stars letting the cool air brush across her skin.

"Kama-chan?" Honey said softly.

"Hmm?" she replied without looking.

"Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah, just cooling off from being embarrassed. It was all in good fun." She patted the sand inviting them to sit with her. Honey and Mori sat on either side of her and stared into the sky with her. It was starting to get cloudy, but you could still see some stars and occasionally the moon would peak out of the clouds. _I hope it doesn't thunder storm. She'd be mortified if anyone found out,_ Kamalei thought analyzing the clouds.

"Why do you control your sweets?" Honey broke the silence.

"So I don't get as big as a house," she joked. Honey and Mori blanched, she chuckled. "I control myself, so I can savor them even more when I do get them. We weren't always as well off as we are now, so I guess at first it was something I did to help out. But now, it just makes it more special." She smiled remembering the baking she and Haruhi would do with her mom and Aunt Kotoko. Honey and Mori looked at her in awe, although Mori didn't show it. Mori ruffled her hair and gave her a small smile. Honey was happy to find he had a comrade in sweets.

"Next time you let go of that control, I want to take you to my favorite bakery. Will you come?" Honey asked hopefully. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Of course, H-" *rumble* Kamalei shot up and saw the storm clouds rolling in. A flash of light streaked across the oncoming clouds. Honey and Mori were startled by her sudden behavior.

"What's wrong?" Mori inquired. Kamalei turned to the house.

"Nothing! I just remembered I have something to take care of!" she bolted to the house. Mori and Honey looked from her running figure to each other.

"Huh?" They followed her with concern.

Kyouya, Tamaki, Haruhi, and the twins were half way through their first hand when they heard the soft rumble in the distance. Haruhi sat up alert looking out the window.

"Haruhi, it's your turn," Kyouya reminded her.

"Huh? Oh here," she drew a card not really paying attention. She saw a light streak across the sky. Stiffening, she dropped her cards. "Uh... I gotta go. I um don't feel well? Yeah, I don't feel well." She ran to her and Kamalei's room. The boys stared.

"What the?" Kaoru commented as they got up to follow her. Kamalei burst into the house running for her and Haruhi's room as well. She almost made it, but Hikaru caught her.

"Where's the fire?"

"No where?" Kamalei avoided eye contact. Kaoru quirked a brow as Honey and Mori came in.

"Kama-chan, what's wrong?"

Kamalei threw a pleading look of desperation to Mori as another roll of thunder was heard. It was getting closer. Mori made Hikaru let go of her. She was gone before anyone could ask anything else. Mori blocked the hall as Tamaki tried to follow. The sound of a door being shut and locked echoed through the hall.

"Mori-sempai let us through!" Kaoru demanded as he, Hikaru, and Tamaki fruitlessly tried to pass. Mori held his ground and Honey understood his unspoken intentions.

"We should leave them be. If they want us to know, they'll tell us when they're ready." Honey stated.

"But," the twins started, but Tamaki cut them off.

"They're right. We shouldn't bring it up either. They will, when they're ready."

The twins resigned. Kaoru held a look of concern, while Hikaru turned agitated.

"I'm going to bed!" he stomped off and Kaoru followed. Kyouya and Tamaki excused themselves as well. Honey and Mori shared a look as they retired to their rooms.

"It's a good thing their room is between ours, huh Takashi?"

"Hn."

Kamalei sighed as she locked the door. _Thank you, Mori-sempai._ She turned to see a seemingly empty room. She knew better. Finding Haruhi was going to take time though, because of the size of the room. It was a king sweet complete with sitting area, walk-in closet, bathroom, an enormous bed, and a full set of chest of drawers with an armoire. She started with the bathroom. _Nope._ She searched the closet and sitting area, including underneath the furniture. _Wrong again._ Another roar of thunder barreled through the room.

"Ah-ah!" It was muffled, but Kamalei had heard it. The sound came from the armoire. _Should've known she'd go for the smallest space possible._ She tried to open the doors, they were stuck. _ She's holding them shut._

"Hi-chan, I locked the door. Let me in?" she used a warm calm tone. She felt the pull on the doors dissipate. Tugging the doors open, she saw Haruhi curled in a ball, shaking in fear. Kamalei crawled in and closed the doors behind her. She pulled Haruhi close, covered her ears, and began to hum the lullaby Aunt Kotoko used to sing. Haruhi relaxed against Kamalei thankful she couldn't hear the thunder any longer.

"Thank you, Lei-chan," she whimpered. Kamalei hummed through the storm until Haruhi fell asleep, she soon followed.

Sunlight filtered through the windows of the living room. Birds chirped as the water from the storm gathered and fell from leaves like dew. Most of the hosts were awake. Even Honey and Kyouya, who were demons when awoken too early, were awake. It was ten, breakfast had past, and mid-day was fast approaching. The males were gathered playing rich man poor man as they waited for their female members to emerge.

"We need to leave at twelve." Kyouya looked at Mori, who nodded and went to the girls' door. He knocked… nothing, not a sound. Mori looked back to Kyouya as if to ask permission, he nodded. Mori pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He slowly opened it as the group watched and listened from the living room.

"Hn?"

Honey perked at his cousin's confusion and went to investigate. He stood beside Mori and saw why. The room was empty. The bed hadn't even been unmade. Honey peaked in the bathroom and closet, also empty.

"Uh… Takashi?"

Mori looked the room over, listening for anything. His ear perked in the direction of the armoire. He raised a brow as he tugged the doors open. What he saw almost made him sigh in exasperation. There they were, huddled inside the armoire. Honey had followed him and chuckled at the sight of Haruhi balled up into Kamalei's protective embrace.

"Awe, how cute." He whispered. He took in the dark circles under their eyes. He shook his head. _ They must have been up all night._ "You take Haru-chan; I'll take Kama-chan." They carried the sleeping girls to bed and laid them down. Honey looked for their suit cases. They were by the door, already packed. Mori took the suit cases as they left. Honey closed the door behind them.

The group in the living room looked at them in question as Mori put the girls' luggage with everyone else's.

"They're still sleeping," Honey offered innocently. The four in front of him quirked their brows.

"Okay…" Kaoru drew out unsure what to think. Hikaru was concerned, "Are they sick?"

"No," Mori answered. Tamaki stood up and paced frantically.

"What's wrong with my little girls?"

Kyouya being someone who didn't appreciate being awoken before he was ready could empathize with the girls and let it go.

"Hikaru, your turn." He said returning to the card game. The boys played cards until it was time to go. Mori and Honey went to get the girls when the maids finished packing the limo. They emerged carrying the still sleeping girls. The others took in their appearance. They both had dark circles under their eyes and were wearing the dresses from the night before. _When did they go to sleep?_

Hikaru and Kaoru got in the limo first, sliding to the end on either side respectively. Honey came in with Kamalei and Kaoru motioned for him to lay her head on his lap. Hikaru did the same when Mori passed Haruhi to Honey. Honey smiled at the twins as he sat down by Kamalei's feet. Mori mirrored his actions with Haruhi. Kyouya entered, sat down, and prepared for Tamaki's shenanigans when he saw the girls' sleeping arrangements. Tamaki sat and closed the door before looking up.

"What the mel mif moim…" Kyouya's hand covered his mouth muffling the rest of the words that's were undoubtedly about why his daughters' heads were on the devil twins laps.

"Shut it!" Kyouya threatened in a whisper. Tamaki pouted, but the damage had been done. Both girls had shot up at the sudden noise looking very disoriented. The boys glared at Tamaki.

"How did I get in here?" Haruhi asked confused. Kamalei took in her surroundings and remembered the night before. She flushed, _oh no!_ Mori caught her eyes and shook his head negatively and glanced at Honey. Honey held a finger to his lips. She looked at them gratefully, they nodded smiling. Kamalei turned to Haruhi and sent the silent message not to worry. Haruhi relaxed, but winced when she saw Kamalei stiffen and grab her back. Hers hurt too. She looked apologetically to Kamalei who waved it off. They had been through this before. The twins watched the exchange and decided to take pity on their exhausted friends entertaining them by teasing Tamaki the whole ride home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Happy Mother's Day everyone! Thank you as always for reading. Enjoy! n.n **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it. **

* * *

The afternoon sun filtered through the windows of Music Room 3 as the Host Club entertained their guests. The twins were playing a game with three of their princesses. They gracefully spun around pulling caps on while circling each other.

"Let's play the 'which one is Hikaru' game!" they called out in sync. The girls on the sofa studied their faces intently. Haruhi and Kamalei walked past the twins' game while taking shopping bags to the kitchen.

"What kind of game is that?" Haruhi whispered to Kamalei.

"No clue. It's kind of pointless. I mean it's easy to tell them apart." Kamalei whispered her reply, so the guests wouldn't hear her. However, she wasn't soft enough to escape the twins' hearing. Hikaru and Kaoru spun to face them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikaru asked curiosity peaked. Kaoru was curious as well, "No one can tell us apart with these caps covering our bangs."

Haruhi and Kamalei raised their brows in surprise. They looked to each other, nodded, and each pointed at a twin.

"Hikaru.""Kaoru." In unison they named the twin they were pointing at respectively.

"You got it wrong." The twins sang automatically. With a slight smile Kamalei shook her head.

"We know we got it right."

"Even though you look alike, you are very different." Haruhi nodded in agreement with Kamalei.

The twins stared as Haruhi and Kamalei continued to the kitchen. The twins' eyes met, both contemplating what just happened. The girls behind them were talking excitedly.

"How did they do that?"

"I don't know, but it was so cool!"

"Let's ask them before we leave."

"Definitely, this is too good to pass up!"

The twins sighed and walked away, bored with their game. They sat at a window separating themselves from everyone else. The minutes ticked by and the twins' feet tapped as they became more impatient.

"Gah, I'm so bored!" Hikaru whined.

"Me too, but there's nothing interesting to do." Kaoru told him just as Haruhi and Kamalei exited the kitchen. Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other; identical smirks grew on their faces. "Unless…"

Floating over to their targets they hung their arms over the secret girls' shoulders.

"So Haruhi, it has occurred to us that we've never been to your house." Hikaru stated.

"So?" Haruhi questioned.

"So, we want to come visit." Kaoru answered as if it were the most innocent thing in the world.

"Eh, why?"

"Because we're bored," they said truthfully. "What do you say, Ha-ru-hi?" Hikaru asked as he closed in on her ear with each syllable. A shiver traveled up Haruhi's spine.

"No way."

"Awe, please! What do you say, Ka-ma-lei?" Kaoru whined and mirrored Hikaru's actions on Kamalei.

"Uh…n-no. Could y-you not get so close?" Kamalei almost squeaked.

The twins moved in front of them begging, "Please, please, please, please?"

"You guys are just gonna make fun of us. What are we to you anyways?" Haruhi asked blandly. Hikaru and Kaoru smirked and placed a finger under each of the girls' chins as they loomed over them.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hikaru started. "You're our toys." Kaoru finished.

"Get away from my little girls!" Tamaki barreled in out of nowhere. Straightening his tie after pulling the twins off of his 'daughters,' he cleared his throat. "Although, I have to agree it is high time we paid our respects to your families." He stated eloquently.

"No way in hell, Sempai." Haruhi said bluntly. She and Kamalei headed toward the doors as they aimed to go home when the guests the twins had entertained cornered them.

"Haruhi, Kamalei, how did you tell the twins apart earlier?"

"Yeah, it was amazing!"

The girls huddled around them and listened with interest. Haruhi tapped her chin, "Hmm, how should I put this?" She looked to Kamalei.

"It is hard to put into words…" Kamalei replied in thought. The twins listened from their seats with serious expressions.

"You see, while they are both troublemakers. Kaoru is slightly more tactful and careful." Kamalei started. "And Hikaru is slightly more blunt and careless." Haruhi continued and glanced at Kamalei in question. She nodded, so they finished together, "Basically, Hikaru is 10% more mischievous than Kaoru."

The guests were impressed. The twins stared; Hikaru remained emotionless while Kaoru turned from shock to laughter.

"Pfft! I'm sorry Hika."

"What? I speak my mind and I'm honest. That's better than I can say of you, Kaoru."

Kaoru turned serious, "Don't try to turn this on me Hikaru. I'm the one who always goes along with your games."

"I may come up with them, but you're the one who really gets into them."

"I only go through with them for you, idiot!"

"If you don't like them don't do them, fool!"

"I do it, so you don't make an ass of yourself!"

The hosts and guests watched the twins escalate into a screaming match. No one knew how to stop them.

"If I'm such an ass, why do you always insist on sleeping in my bed?!" Hikaru sneered.

"I only do it because you look so lonely! You think I actually like to sleep with you? You toss and turn so much you fall out of bed!" Kaoru retorted. They gave each other piercing glares. Anger rolled off of them in waves.

"Momma's boy!" Hikaru yelled.

"Daddy's reject!" Kaoru returned.

"Sex pixie!"

"Sadomasochist!"

"That's it! We're through!" In unison they growled, turned their backs on one another, and stormed out the doors. The witnesses stood in shock.

"Did that really just happen?" Kamalei asked in disbelief. Mori grunted an affirmative reply. Haruhi blinked.

"They'll get over it before tomorrow, don't worry. Let's go." Haruhi ushered Kamalei out the door. Honey hugged Usa-chan. Mori stared in thought. Kyouya stopped writing his notes. Tamaki was stupefied. The remaining hosts shared the same thought, _I'm not so sure…_

The students chatted cheerfully gathered in small groups throughout the 1-A classroom. Haruhi made her way to her desk and started unpacking her notes. A commotion in the hall drew her attention. Hikaru walked in sporting flamingo pink hair.

"Good morning, Haruhi." He greeted her.

"Hikaru, you dyed your hair?"

"I'm tired of being mistaken for that Kaoru, so I fixed the problem." He grinned. More commotion came from the hallway. Kamalei stopped as she entered the classroom. Her eyes bugged out as she looked down the hall.

"Kaoru!" she said in astonishment. Kaoru pulled her into the room with a head of blue hair.

"Good morning, Kamalei, Haruhi." He and Kamalei went to their seats. "I had the best sleep last night. You know, finally being able to sleep in my own bed and all. I had the strangest dream though. I dreamt that I had dyed my hair pink! What a nightmare!" Kaoru ignored how Hikaru's eye twitched. He started to sit, but fell to the floor as Hikaru pulled his chair from under him. Kaoru retaliated as he kicked Hikaru out of his chair. Sparks flew as they threw anything and everything at each other over Haruhi and Kamalei's heads. The girls sighed as they resisted the urge to face palm.

The lunch bell rang. Haruhi and Kamalei followed the twins to the cafeteria concerned. The twins ignored each other and ordered.

"I'll have the chicken comfit," they said in unison. "No, wait! The A pasta and the D salad! Grrr…" Their frustration was palatable as the rest of the hosts came in.

"Wow, perfect unison even when fighting." Haruhi commented.

"What's all the commotion?" Tamaki asked. Kamalei pointed to the twins. They were carrying their food when Honey popped in between them and held up a cake.

"This is enough. Now, Hika-chan, Kao-chan, I want you to make up and go halvsies on this cake! But I want some too, so I guess we'll go thirdsies…" Honey rambled as the twins' irritation flowed around them. Hikaru, wearing his 'shit eating' grin, took the cake from Honey.

"Sure Honey-sempai, I'll share this cake with Kaoru."

Kamalei got a bad feeling, "Uh-oh…"

Mori grabbed Honey before Hikaru nailed Kaoru in the face with the cake. Kaoru's eye twitched fiercely as he retaliated by throwing his juice on Hikaru. Once again everything in the room was thrown, resulting in food covering most of the cafeteria.

"My cake…" Honey sniffled. Mori pulled a new cake out of thin air. "Yay!" Honey beamed and shoveled the cake into his mouth.

"I think we'll eat in the classroom, as usual." Haruhi told their friends as she and Kamalei slowly backed out of the cafeteria boxed lunches in hand.

The next two days went similarly. The Host Club was in the cafeteria trying to run damage control from the twins' antics. Kyouya appeared behind Haruhi and Kamalei, catching them by surprise.

"Eep!" Kamalei squeaked and glared at him.

"Let's have a meeting and cancel club activities for the day." Kyouya announced to the hosts. Tamaki nodded in approval while he tried to keep his cool. A bowl of soup flew from the battle zone and landed on his head. The bowl covered his eyes and the soup dripped from his hair as his fists shook.

"Gah!" he screamed and chased the twins out of the cafeteria.

Three o' clock rolled around and everyone, but the twins sat in discussion in Music Room 3.

"So we're going to have to remedy this situation quickly or drop the brotherly love package, as we are down a pair of loving brothers." Kyouya sat at the head of the table looking over the numbers. The members were at a loss of what to do. "Oh, Kamalei, Haruhi, please don't think this is your fault. Although, your tactless comments are what triggered this mess." He stared at them with the glare of his glasses hiding his eyes. Haruhi deadpanned, _He obviously blames us._

"It's so strange. Hika-chan and Kao-chan have never fought before." Honey cuddled Usa-chan as he stared at the table.

"Never?" Kamalei inquired.

"Yeah, I went to the same pre-school as them. They were inseparable."

"Maybe this will be good for them then. Expand their world a bit." Tamaki offered.

Haruhi and Kamalei walked to a window in thought. _If they've never fought before, do they know when to call it quits?_ Haruhi stared at the fountain of a little boy in the center of the pond. _Do they even know how to make up and forgive each other? _Kamalei watched a frog hop from lily pad to lily pad. Hikaru and Kaoru burst into the room arguing. They crashed into some vases during their rampage and set Tamaki off.

"That's it!" He chased the twins out of the room. "Get back here!"

Kamalei and Haruhi stayed at the window until the twins sprinting around the fountain followed by a thrashing Tamaki caught their attention. Glancing at one another, they nodded.

"We need to teach them how." Kamalei barely whispered as she and Haruhi strode out of the room.

Honey and Mori blinked. "Haru-chan? Kama-chan?" Kyouya simply gestured for them to follow the girls with his head as he too left the room.

The fight had taken another turn for the worse when Kamalei and Haruhi arrived.

"You know what?! That's it! It's bad enough that I'm always mistaken for you! It infuriates me! I hate you!" Hikaru screamed. Disgust rolled from Kaoru as shock rippled through Kamalei and Haruhi.

Haruhi froze and whispered, "Hate…" Kamalei's fists tightened.

Kaoru burst, "I feel the same! I ha-Ow!"

"Ouch!" Hikaru echoed. Kamalei knocked them both over the head forcing them to the ground. She was pissed.

"This is stupid! You've gone too far! You two are brothers! You love each other! Now, make up or we will never invite you over to our houses!" The twins stared at Kamalei in shock, but slowly they began to grin. They picked themselves up and leaned on each other.

"So what you're saying is that if we make up, we can visit your place?" Kaoru and Hikaru chimed mischievously.

The group stood in horror. Kamalei's eye started twitching. _It was a trick?!_

"I'm so sorry, Hikaru! I didn't mean any of it!" Kaoru held his brother in apology. The twins' eyes teared up.

"It was fake? Why?" Honey asked.

"We were bored!" they stated nonchalantly. Tamaki paled in his crumpled position on the ground.

"Twins with too much time on their hands are the devil!" he breathed. The twins stuck their tongues out at him.

"What, are you stupid? I could never hate Kaoru!" Hikaru sounded offended underneath his glee of winning. Kamalei and Haruhi snapped at the word hate. Haruhi started to shake.

"Never," she paused swallowing the lump in her throat. Kamalei grabbed her into an embrace, both of their eyes never leaving the twins. "Never use the word hate on someone you love again." The words came out weak and strangled, but they were heard. The twins' grins dropped. They glanced from each other to Haruhi and Kamalei. Both girls were shaking as Kamalei held Haruhi for dear life. Kyouya, Tamaki, Honey, and Mori shared looks of concern.

"What do you mean by that?" Kaoru braved the unspoken question. Kamalei shook her head negatively as Haruhi closed her eyes and held back unshed tears. Kamalei turned her from view and walked her away. Painful memories plagued them both as they ignored the protests of Honey, Tamaki, and the twins. The boys watched the girls' retreating figures.

"I don't get it. It was just a joke?" Hikaru sighed. Tamaki scrubbed his hand over his face.

"Alas, it went too far. By escalating to the use of hate, it seems you have hit a bell from our darling ladies' past."

Realization rang threw the twins. Kyouya stared at them dumbly, "Go fix it!"

Hikaru and Kaoru slowly trudged in the direction the girls had gone. Tamaki tried to join them, but was caught by Mori. He looked at the other three in question. Honey shook his head with a frown. Tamaki sighed in understanding. _It won't help anything if we are the ones who try to fix it._

"Come on, let's get you busy." Kyouya smirked knowingly. He rolled his eyes not particularly wanting to see his best friend begging to aid the twins in making the girls feel better.

Hikaru and Kaoru were unsure of what to say. They had found Haruhi and Kamalei fifteen minutes ago, but they couldn't bring themselves to approach. Kamalei rubbed Haruhi's back while she buried her face in her knees. They were under a large willow tree. Kamalei hummed a song the twins had never heard before. Her ocean-like eyes held a sadness that rocked them to their cores. The girls hadn't spoken since they found them. Kamalei stopped humming and spoke in a calm whisper.

"Hi-chan…Auntie knows…She told you herself." Haruhi let out a stuttered breath and raised her head. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she forced a smile.

"It doesn't change my words…I was so selfish…" Her voice trailed off from the whisper.

The twins looked on in shocked pain. Kaoru squeezed Hikaru's hand. _We made Haruhi cry…Hell, from the looks of it we're about to make Kamalei cry!_ They steeled themselves and approached the melancholy pair. Kamalei glanced up and immediately hid her face. Hikaru and Kaoru sat in front of them with pleading eyes.

"How do we fix it?" Hikaru asked.

Haruhi and Kamalei studied the twins. Finding their eyes sincere, Haruhi let out a shallow breath and held Kamalei's hand for support.

"Just listen and try to understand." She collected her thoughts as the twins listened intently. "It was the morning after our kindergarten festival. We were in a play with our class, 'Alice in Wonderland.' I was angry. Dad and Auntie had watched, but she…Mom, was working. She made a congratulatory breakfast for us. It just made me madder. I wanted her to see it so badly. I-*sigh* I blew up. I yelled, asking her why. Why wasn't she there? Couldn't she take an hour off? She had had a mandatory court hearing for her client. I know that, now. I was selfish, wanting her attention. In my anger, I told her that I-" Haruhi struggled, "That I hated how her job took her away so much. That I hated her for not making time." She chuckled weakly, "I was stupid and selfish. I didn't talk to her the rest of the day. The next morning, she collapsed. Dad took her to the hospital. Auntie paced by the phone for hours. I was so scared. When the phone finally rang, Auntie's face turned grim. Mom had had an aneurism. I don't think Auntie's ever driven as fast as she did that day. When we got to the hospital she ushered us to mom's room as fast as she could. Mom was hooked up to all sorts of machines. She looked so weak and yet she smiled at me. I threw myself at her apologizing, saying I didn't mean it, like a mantra. She just held me and said, 'I know, I love you.' Then-" Haruhi took a sharp steadying breath. "Her arms loosened and the machines went crazy. Nurses and doctors forced us to leave the room. I've never seen my dad so frightened. When the doctor came out, his face was grim and eyes full of pity. He told us there was nothing they could do. My mom had had another aneurism. The first one apparently triggered it even with the medication they had given her. She died instantly. That's why." She implored looking at the twins. "That's why you should never use the word hate to someone you love. It could be the last thing you ever say to them."

Stray tears leaked from her and Kamalei's eyes. Amber pools of sadness bore into them.

"Never again," Kaoru promised. Hikaru pulled Haruhi into a hug letting her bury her face in his chest. "We understand," Hikaru whispered. Kaoru pulled Kamalei into a hug as well. The twins joined embraces, shielding the girls from the world. "We're sorry," they apologized.

The four stayed in the embrace for a while. When they broke apart, Haruhi let a small smile curve her lips.

"It's okay."

The twins flooded with relief. Kamalei and Haruhi found their expressions slightly amusing. They stood up and offered their hands to the twins. Kaoru and Hikaru became confused.

"Come on, you goofs," Kamalei gave a watery chuckle. The twins smiled taking their hands.

It was early the next day and everything was back to normal. The guests beamed in happiness, now that the twins had 'made up.' They giggled as the twins' announced, "Let's play the 'which one is Hikaru' game!"

"Oh, I know! The pink one is Hikaru!"

"We have a winner!" they chimed. Haruhi and Kamalei walked by and paused.

"What the?" Kamalei raised a brow. The twins turned their attention to the female hosts. Haruhi and Kamalei shook their heads pitying the princesses.

"You switched colors today, huh?" Haruhi smiled wryly as she and Kamalei went to entertain their guests before class.

The twins stared with blank faces. They grasped each other's hands. Kaoru glanced at Hikaru, who stayed fixed on the two. Turning his gaze back to Haruhi and Kamalei he mused, _it's always been us versus everyone else. No one has ever crossed into our world, but now…I wonder what will happen?_

"I think it's not too good to be bogged down when we're twins. I suggest we adopt them to be children of our family. What do you think?" Hikaru asked.

"Ah, that's quite a good idea." Kaoru replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it. **

* * *

The male hosts slowly approached two small condemned shacks of houses. The roofs were crumbling, the shutters hanging by one hinge, and the doors were made from ply wood. Under the mailbox on their right hung a sign that read 'Fujioka,' the mailbox on the left mirrored its partner, but read 'Ichinose.' The boys grew pale in the gloom that hung over their friends' residences.

"This is a joke, right?" Hikaru asked as he and Kaoru searched over their ghastly surroundings for signs of a farce. Kyouya, Mori, and Honey stood like soldiers in silence.

"This can't be the place." Tamaki prayed before his hopes were dashed when a disheveled Haruhi opened the door.

"Hi guys please come in." she welcomed them inside where Kamalei was making tea on a wood burning stove that was on its last legs.

"Please sit down. We don't have much, but we were able to collect enough cups and bowls to serve everyone." Kamalei said showing them the mismatched bowls and cups with cracks and chips in them. She and Haruhi were thinner and unhealthy looking.

"Look everyone, we bought you some sushi. We starved ourselves for three days, so we could afford something more to your tastes." She presented a box of pre-packaged sushi with a sale sticker stating "Premium" on it. Honey and the twins scrambled as far as they could from the offensive food hiding behind Mori.

"Haru-chan! Don't make us eat it!" Honey cried.

"Is this fancy tuna? Looks good!" Haruhi's hands shook as her chopsticks reached for the 'fancy' tuna.

Tamaki shot up in bed screaming, "No Haruhi! That tuna is by no means fancy!" He heaved large breaths sighing in relief. _It was only a dream._ As his racing heart slowed, his expression was determined. He pulled out his phone and hit his number one speed dial.

"Kyouya?... We must visit Haruhi and Kamalei!... Yes, now! We have to make sure our little girls aren't living in hovels!" Tamaki spoke animatedly into the receiver as he threw on jeans and a green sweater.

Haruhi and Kamalei were enjoying their walk home from the supermarket. They had gotten an early start to catch the good deals and were pleased with their haul. Kamalei hummed a happy tune with a skip in her step.

"Strawberries, yay!" Kamalei twirled with a huge grin. Haruhi giggled.

"My favorite! It's lucky we found such a great deal." She mused with her mouth watering slightly. Kamalei nodded and kept skipping looking forward to the sweets she would make later. A crowd in front of their apartment complex slowed her to a stop. Haruhi paused a step behind her.

"Wow, Haru-chan and Kama-chan sure have big houses!" a familiar voice came through the crowd.

"No, this is what's called an apartment complex; several commoner families live in the units here." Another familiar voice blandly explained.

"No…" Haruhi breathed in shock, "They can't be here."

"Now remember men, we do not want to offend Haruhi, Kamalei, or their parents. Do not say things like 'miserable looking,' 'looks teeny,' or 'poverty struck.' Also, avoid anything that will make them think, 'I wish they would leave.' Understood?" The voice of Tamaki ordered. "Yes sir," was heard all around.

"Go. Home. Now." Haruhi bit out over the crowd. Kamalei bit her lip as Haruhi's hair stood on end.

The hosts peered through the mass of people and saw Haruhi and Kamalei stare at them, one in shock and the other menacingly. They took in the girls appearances. Haruhi was wearing a pink dress with a white t-shirt and pink strap sandals. Kamalei had her bangs held back with bobby pins and wore a blue and black plaid sleeveless dress with black ribbon sandals. The outfits were simple and practical, but cute.

"Plain and simple, looking good!" Tamaki, Honey, and the twins gave eight thumbs up. Mori and Kyouya stood idle, hoping for Kamalei to defuse Haruhi. As fate would have it, she and Haruhi became more concerned with the female calling from the apartments behind them than giving them the third degree.

"Kamalei, Haruhi, are these your friends?" A beautiful woman with long flowing black hair, wearing a pant suit, asked as she leaned on the railing of the second floor. Haruhi immediately swallowed her annoyance and shot the boys a look that said, 'behave.'

"Yes, mom!" Kamalei called back.

"Please have them come up for tea!" Noriko smiled warmly at the group below her and left to put the kettle on.

Haruhi groaned in compliance. Kyouya smirked at her in amusement.

"Come Haruhi, we aren't that bad."

"YOU are not who I'm worried about." She glanced at Tamaki and the twins and mumbled under her breath, "Damn rich bastards, popping up without invitation."

Kamalei shook her head with a grin. This wasn't enough to bring her good mood down. She remembered Honey's request from the beach. Looking to her small sempai her grin grew into a full smile. He was wearing a blue and white sailor suit with pink accents, it suited him.

"Honey-sempai, looks like you saved me a phone call." She told him. Honey's eyes grew catching her meaning.

"Really?! Takashi and I brought cakes!" Honey beamed in excitement. His nose caught a familiar scent and looked at Kamalei's shopping bags, "You bought strawberries!"

Kamalei glanced at Haruhi and giggled. Haruhi's expression did a 180 when she was reminded of the sweet fruit and she smiled as she ushered their friends up stairs. Kamalei opened the door; she and Haruhi headed in and took off their sandals.

"Hey, should we take of our shoes?" Kyouya asked. Kamalei and Haruhi thought, _Isn't that obvious? _They realized their friends' grew up in a different world and should expect some cultural differences. _Just be nice and guide them through it, _Haruhi thought with a small sigh and let Kamalei take the reins.

"Please, if you would?" Kamalei answered pulling out enough slippers for everyone. Mori and Honey followed Haruhi and Kamalei into the small kitchen.

Tamaki and the twins peered from the door and examined the apartment. It was clean and organized with feminine touches here and there. Nowhere near the extravagance they were accustomed, but not that bad. Tamaki gave a sigh of relief.

"Looks poverty struck," Hikaru stated bluntly. Tamaki grabbed his vest and shook him.

"Do you want to get thrown out?" Tamaki whisper yelled. "We are in uncharted waters. Don't say anything to offend them!" Hikaru and Kaoru nodded vigorously. Kyouya glared at the three for making a ruckus and turned to the kitchen.

Honey and Mori placed the cake on the counter and bowed to Noriko to introduce themselves.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Mitsukuni and this is Takashi." Honey said cheerfully with flowers floating in the background. Mori towered over everyone in his track suit even as he bowed.

"Ah." Mori gave a small smile.

Noriko's smile grew as she finished putting together the tea tray. "So you are the young men who have protected our girls so well. How fantastic it is to meet you both." Kyouya made his presence known. Noriko gave the young man in the khaki pants and black sleeveless shirt a welcoming smile.

"Ms. Ichinose, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Kyouya bowed in respect. Tamaki rushed over, took a knee, and held out a red rose.

"You are absolutely lovely madam. I am humbled by your beauty." Tamaki put his most charming smile. He was caught off guard when Noriko giggled. She covered her mouth to hide her mirth.

"You must be Tamaki Souh." Noriko looked to Haruhi and Kamalei, "He is most eccentric, as you said." She turned back to Kyouya and bowed in return. "It nice to put a face to the name, Kyouya Ootori. Thank you taking such good care of our girls. Please call me Noriko."

Kyouya's brows raised in surprise, though the rest of his face did not show it. "It is no trouble, I assure you, Noriko-san."

Noriko gave a small smirk, "Don't be so surprised, the girls told me about you, as well as-" A beeping sound came from her pocket. "Ah, I'm afraid I must go." Noriko hugged Kamalei and Haruhi, "Once tea is finished take them next door, Ryoji will be home shortly. Have a nice day girls." She aimed for the door, but the twins caught her eye. They were in somewhat matching outfits. Both wore green pants, but one wore a red t-shirt with a white vest while the other had a white t-shirt with a red vest. "Oh you two must be the Hitachiin brothers. Sorry I have to run, but it is nice to meet you." She gave a quick bow and called out as she left the apartment, "Please feel free to visit again soon!"

The twins blinked and stared. Slowly their grins appeared and they peeked smugly into the kitchen. "So… you two talk about us, huh?"

Kamalei rolled her eyes and carried the tea tray to the dining room. A smirk tugged her mouth when her back was to them. "Of course we did. We had to warn her about you two hooligans, didn't we?" she paused. "She was quite interested in how two GAY boys could enjoy hosting a bunch of girls."

Shock grew over the twins' faces, "What?!" Kaoru held himself up on the wall. Hikaru grabbed Kamalei by the shoulders and shook her, "You told her we're gay?!"

Kamalei couldn't keep a straight face as she held her laughter, "Y-yes?" She barely answered and she broke into giggles. The twins' faces were priceless. The others laughed as well.

"It's only natural for her to assume, with your brotherly love." Kyouya prodded with a teasing smirk.

Hikaru glared at Kyouya, he was becoming irritated. Haruhi saw the fire growing in his eyes and quickly sought to extinguish it.

"Can't take your own medicine, huh?" she said shaking her head.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at her as her words sunk in. They switched to Kamalei and saw her huge grin. Hikaru let go of her and slumped to the floor with his brother. _She got us._

Kamalei and Haruhi motioned for them to gather around the table. "Sorry, there's not a lot of room. Mori-sempai, please watch your head." Haruhi said as she set out cups.

"Ah," he grunted gratefully.

"Wow, the archway is pretty low." Honey observed.

"The ceiling is pretty low," the twins' deadpanned.

"Just tuck your legs to your chest gym style, men. Commoners invented such positions to conserve space." Tamaki instructed. Haruhi inhaled deeply as she tried to keep her cool. _1, 2, 3, 4, 5-_

"Haru-chan, Kama-chan, which cake do you want? We have strawberry, chocolate, and cheese cake." Honey asked taking the lid off the cake box.

"Are you sure that's ok?" Kamalei inquired.

"Definitely, we have this sort thing all the time." Hikaru said. Kaoru and Tamaki reprimanded him.

"What are you saying?!" Tamaki whispered. Hikaru gasped at his misstep.

Kamalei chose the chocolate and Haruhi chose the strawberry. Both girls wore blissful expressions. Tamaki, Kaoru, and Hikaru silently gushed, _They're so cute! But we can't move a muscle; it seems that whatever we do will lead to a horrible mistake. A fearsome trap is the commoner's world._

"Mori and I are also strawberry, everyone else just eat what you want." Honey instructed cutely. Mori slid a strawberry onto Haruhi's plate.

"You like Strawberries?" he asked.

"Yes! Thank you!" Haruhi gave her best smile making Tamaki and the twins wish they had given her theirs first.

Kamalei took her first bite, the boys watched her in anticipation. Leaving the fork in her mouth, she beamed. She was in heaven. Tamaki and the twins couldn't contain it, "So cute!"

"This is fantastic, sempai!" she chirped. Honey beamed with her.

They settled into idle chit chat as they ate. Kaoru's eyes began to wander. He saw pictures on the mantle and examined them. He gasped and grabbed the picture in the middle.

"No way…" He glanced back and forth from the picture to Kamalei and Haruhi. "How? Why?" he stared at the girls in disbelief.

"What, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked curiously. All of them gave him inquiring looks. Kaoru showed the picture to his brother. Hikaru's eyes grew and pinned the girls with a stare.

"Why did you do it? How could you commit such a travesty?" He asked excitedly. The girls realized which picture they had and both sighed. The others didn't know what the twins were going on about until Tamaki took the picture from them and had an all out fit.

"How could you cut your hair?! It was so pretty!" Tamaki whined in his antics. Kyouya smirked knowingly. Honey and Mori looked at the picture. The girls were breath taking. Kamalei and Haruhi were sitting on a white picket fence, smiling. Both had gorgeous long hair that was flowing in the wind.

"A couple of kids put gum in our hair on our way to school," Haruhi stated.

"Gum is really hard to get out of long hair, so we just cut it out. We didn't want to be late." Kamalei explained.

"And your parents just let you go out like that?!" Tamaki asked in horror.

"Well, no. Neither of them ever saw those cuts because you guys gave us that impromptu make over." Haruhi answered blandly.

The twins face palmed. _We really shouldn't complain. We would never have become friends, if they hadn't been mistaken for boys when they first came to the club room… But still._ They wanted to pull their hair out. They wanted to put extensions in the girls' hair. They wanted to dress them up even more than before, if that was possible. Twin grins grew on their faces, _Oh the fun we're going to have!_

Kamalei and Haruhi were weary of the look on the twins' faces. A grumble came from Honey's stomach.

"That cake really wet my appetite!" He giggled rubbing the back of his head. A chorus of grumbles echoed their agreement. It was past lunch time.

"What's for lunch?" the twins and Tamaki asked innocently tilting their heads. Haruhi deadpanned, _How carefree…_

"We can order out. We did show up unannounced. Let's call your favorite sushi place." Kyouya stated.

"We do have a friend that owns a sushi restaurant near here. It should suit your tastes; he uses pretty high quality stuff." Haruhi offered. Kyouya took his phone out ready to call when Tamaki handed a note to Haruhi.

'Just because a box is labeled premium does not make it high quality. Be very careful.'

Tamaki was pleased with himself for discreetly telling her the 'truth' of boxed sushi until she crumbled the note and tossed it into the bin.

"I'm not stupid, sempai. I know that without you telling me." Haruhi growled out.

Tamaki retreated weeping, "I was trying to tell you discreetly, so it wouldn't embarrass you! I'm sorry!"

"I want to eat Haru-chan and Kama-chan's cooking." Honey requested.

"Honey-sempai, how bold!" the twins said in shock.

"That shouldn't be a problem, but it will take a while." Kamalei told Honey.

"We can wait!" Honey said happily.

The twins and Tamaki huddled, crying tears of joy. "We get to eat Haruhi and Kamalei's home cooked meal!"

"Alright, but we need to go to next door. Dad should be home any minute." Haruhi told them as she and Kamalei carried the dishes to the kitchen and cleaned up.

Haruhi's apartment looked similar to Kamalei's with minor differences in the décor. The boys took their shoes off and sat in the living room while Kamalei and Haruhi busied themselves in the kitchen. The girls had taken account of their ingredients and came to the conclusion that curry would be the quickest meal to prepare.

"Is curry alright with everyone?" Kamalei asked as she peeked out of the pass through window between the kitchen and the living room. The boys nodded.

"We like spicy curry!" the twins called out.

"We like mild!" Honey countered.

"Okay, we'll make both." Kamalei shrugged and went to chop vegetables.

While the others made small talk, Tamaki shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to help. After a few minutes of fidgeting he got up. Haruhi was washing the rice when Tamaki peered over her shoulder.

"What do you want, sempai?" She asked, not really caring.

"I want to help," he smiled happily at her. She was surprised, but nodded. She shook the strainer with the rice and removed it from the sink. Some water dripped on the floor, but she ignored it for the moment.

"You can take the rice to the pot." Haruhi handed him the strainer.

Tamaki grinned like a school boy. He started to head toward the pot, but his foot slipped in the water. With a yelp he fell forward and the strainer flew from his hands. Haruhi got caught in his fall and Kamalei went to save the rice. Tamaki tried not to land on Haruhi by grabbing the counter. He missed. Instead he caught Kamalei's dress and pulled her down with him.

"I'm home!" a feminine voice sang.

Ryoji Fujioka came home from his shift from the transvestite bar. He was wearing a women's skirt suit and light make up with his red hair framing his face in waves. What he saw in the kitchen made his brown eyes see red. There lay Haruhi, pinned underneath some blonde boy, who seemingly had his other hand up Kamalei's dress as she was crumpled on the floor holding a strainer of rice above her head.

"Welcome home," the girls replied nonchalantly.

Tamaki froze taking in Ryoji's appearance._ THAT'S Haruhi's father?! _ Then he thought of how their fumbled position may look like. _Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! This isn't good. I'M DEAD! No…I'll explain and he'll understand, right?_ He didn't get the chance. Just as the others came to see what the commotion was, Ryoji quickly padded over to Haruhi and Kamalei's rescue. He threw Tamaki across the room indenting the wall.

"Hi girls! I've had the longest day, my shoulder is just killing me!" he rolled his shoulder for effect. Haruhi and Kamalei stared in shock at Tamaki's motionless form as it slid from the wall. "You know Kamalei, if you're going to defend yourself you need to pick something heavier than the strainer." He rambled in a sweet tone and picked the girls up off the floor. He walked over to Tamaki and ground his foot onto his head growling in his masculine tone, "I wasn't aware we had such a large pest problem."

The twins were enjoying Tamaki's torture, and decided to introduce themselves. They walked on top of Tamaki and shook Ryoji's hand. "Hi, we're the Hitachiin brothers. We're classmates of Haruhi and Kamalei." They greeted acting oblivious to Tamaki's discomfort.

"Sorry about our Boss, he's a bit of a ladies' man if you know what I mean." Hikaru stated.

"Ladies' man huh?" Ryoji gritted darkly.

"Yeah, he reeks of pheromones. I bet he's fooled around with more girls than he can count." Kaoru drove it home.

Tamaki sputtered to regain control. "That's not true! I'm no ladies' man! I love Haruhi and Kamalei!"

Ryoji and the twins looked shocked, _Is he saying he wants both of them?!_

"I love them like my own daughters! I want to protect them!" Tamaki pleaded with all of his might.

The twins burst into laughter. Ryoji had his impression of Tamaki concreted, _He's an idiot!_

Kyouya decided it was time to make himself known, and by the by, save his idiot best friend. He put on his best host smile, "Ranka-san, how nice to finally meet you in person."

Ryoji recognized that voice. He turned around with the biggest grin and used his feminine tone again, "Kyouya, you're here! How wonderful! You're more handsome than I ever imagined!"

"No, no. It's Ranka-san who is truly beautiful. Oh, and thank you for those photographs."

Everyone snapped their eyes to the pair in confusion.

"Um, Mr. Fujioka. How you know Kyou-chan?" Honey asked innocently.

"Kyouya here has been calling me with updates on my girls for a while now, Mitsukuni." Ryoji looked over the boys.

"You know who I am?" Honey asked excitedly.

"But of course, Kyouya has told me all about you. Let's see," Ryoji paused and pointed to Mori and then the twins respectively, "You are Takashi and you two are Hikaru and Kaoru. Though I don't know which one is which." He squinted his eyes at Tamaki, "and you must be the bumbling president. So this is the Ouran Host Club. What a handsome group of young men, I hardly know whom I would choose. Oh, and please call me Ranka, it's my professional name."

At the bumbling comment, Tamaki sat in the storage closet in gloom. The others ignored him. Haruhi and Kamalei were surprised to find out Kyouya had been in touch with their patriarch. Kamalei shook her head and retreated to the kitchen.

"Why didn't you tell me sempai was calling you?" Haruhi asked miffed.

"Because you hardly tell me anything!" Ranka whined.

"You still should have told me." Haruhi huffed. Ranka flamboyantly hugged and rubbed his cheek on Haruhi's.

"The thing about you, Haruhi is… you're even cute when you're angry!" Ranka gushed. Haruhi gently shoved him off and joined Kamalei in the kitchen. "You stay here with them, I think it would be best if Kamalei and I cooked by ourselves."

"But Daddy wants to help!" Tamaki got up whining. Haruhi shot him a glare causing him to pout. Ranka kicked him down and sat on him for good measure. The boys sat around the living room again. Rock music started pouring out of the kitchen. Ranka folded his hands and placed his chin on them with a smirk.

"Good, they can't hear us." Ranka spoke softly. "So tell me boys, what do you think of my little girls?"

"Nice," Mori answered in his baritone voice. Honey grinned at his cousin and nodded.

"Yeah, they're cute and fun too!" Honey added.

"I find them quite interesting." Kyouya stated earnestly.

"They are different," Hikaru started, Ranka narrowed his eyes. "In a good way!" Hikaru waved his arms in front of himself nervously. Kaoru snickered.

"We enjoy playing with them." Kaoru said and looked to his twin. They gave a shrug as they finished together, "We really like them."

"Mer mrate," Tamaki muffled out. Ranka rolled his eyes and got off of him.

Ranka was pleased that Kamalei and Haruhi had made some good friends. "I'm glad. To be honest, I was afraid they would close themselves off when they got to Ouran. There are so serious about their studies that they forget to have fun. Not even their friends in middle school could accomplish what you six have. In such a short time too." He trailed off thoughtfully.

"What do you mean Ranka-san?" Honey asked curiously.

Ranka gave a soft smile, "They haven't smiled and laughed like they do when they talk about you, and I'm sure around you, since Kotoko." The boys, except Mori and Kyouya, looked awe struck. "Really, I must thank you for that."

"It's been our pleasure," Tamaki said seriously. Ranka looked him over without malice for the first time. Tamaki's expression melted into a dreamy one. "They really talk about us?! I knew they loved their daddy!" he suddenly gushed. Ranka thoroughly ground his fist into Tamaki's skull.

"Oh no, you don't! That's enough of that!" Ranka scolded in his masculine voice with his perfectly plucked eyebrow twitching. The twins snickered, while the others hid their amusement. Haruhi and Kamalei brought two serving dishes of curry out of the kitchen catching the group's attention.

"Come to the dining room everyone, lunch is ready." Kamalei announced doubling back for the rice.

"Yay Lunch!" Honey called running for the dining room. The scent of curry filled the room, it was fantastic. Ranka looked questioningly at his girls then to the two dishes of red and golden curries.

"Hikaru and Kaoru like spicy curry, so we made both." Haruhi shrugged. Ranka got an evil glint in his eye before he quickly masked it.

"Thank you for this meal." They all said once everyone settled in. Haruhi and Kamalei served them, but Ranka took the liberty of serving Tamaki.

"But I don't like spicy things!" Tamaki whined. Ranka kept piling on the red curry with a large grin.

"Spicy things are quite invigorating. It will put some hair on your chest. Don't you want to become manly?" Ranka used his feminine tone ignoring Tamaki's protests.

"Haru-chan, Kama-chan, this looks great!" Honey complemented while his mouth watered. The others agreed and dug in. A chorus of satisfied humming rang around the room.

Honey's eyes gleamed. _So yummy!_

Mori held quite the content expression, _Heavenly._

Kyouya hid his surprise and delight. _Delicious, this is five star quality. I must make a note of this._

The twins ate in polite gusto. _Spicy! But so good! I can't believe Haruhi and Kamalei can cook this well, _Hikaru thought. _Oh my god, this is practically orgasmic! Hot, hot, hot! _Kaoru drank some water and continued eating happily.

Tamaki's eyes were watering. _It has great flavor, but it's… so… SPICY! _His ears had smoke pouring out and his mouth breathed fire. The twins threw water in his face extinguishing the flames.

Ranka smiled at his girls' accomplished expressions. _They always love when a dish makes others happy._ They finished eating in relative peace with the occasional fire from Tamaki.

Ranka excused himself; he had had a long night and needed his rest. Tamaki noticed the alter dedicated to Haruhi's mother. He moved in front of it, lit some incense, and clapped his hands together in prayer. The others followed suit. Haruhi and Kamalei smiled warmly, they thought it was sweet of them to pay their respects. Tamaki picked up the picture of the woman who looked like an older version of Haruhi.

"You take after your mother. She must have been a wonderful person, she looks smart." Tamaki offered setting the picture back in its rightful place.

"She was smart, she was a lawyer." Haruhi said smiling with a faraway look in her eyes.

"She must have been a great lawyer, I can tell. You can't fool these eyes." Tamaki smiled. The others had to hold back their snorts due to the situation, but Haruhi said what they were thinking anyway.

"I don't know about that, sempai…" Haruhi put bluntly. Tamaki blanched. Kamalei leaned on Haruhi with a smirk. _As blunt as ever, Hi-chan,_ she thought fondly. Haruhi leaned back, her eyes growing soft, "But, my mom… yeah. She was a great lawyer."

_Mother in heaven, these are my friends. They're a bit…different, but really sweet. They make life interesting and I'm surprised to say I'm glad. Please, watch over them as well. _Haruhi smiled dreamily remembering her mother.

Tamaki gave a sad smile remembering his own mother, but quickly masked it. "Well, we should go. We don't want to overstay our welcome."

"Awe, but we wanted to play more!" the twins pouted. Mori helped usher them out.

"We'll walk you out." Kamalei said putting her shoes on. They walked down the stairs and waited for the boys' limousine. It was comfortable chit chat with occasional banter. The twins suddenly thought of something.

"Hey Kamalei, where's your dad?" they inquired. Kyouya stiffened for a second, but no one caught his momentary lapse. Kamalei turned to them with a bland expression, there went her mood.

"He's fictional," was all she said. The boys, except Kyouya, gave her questioning looks. Haruhi pinched the bridge of her nose. She had hoped this would never come up.

Kamalei had asked about her father quite often when they were younger only to be met with a steel wall. Noriko, Ranka, and Kotoko would dodge the questions, never giving her a straight answer. Kamalei gave up eventually. She is happy and honestly doesn't feel the need for a father, she has Ranka after all, but she is curious and their dodging only made it worse.

"What does that mean, Kama-chan?" Honey asked delicately, unsure if this was a sore subject.

"It means, he does not exist in this reality." Kamalei put bluntly, her expression remained the same. _Yep, sore subject._ Honey cringed. The twins and Tamaki were about to ask more, but stopped short when Kyouya gave them a look that said, 'drop it or face the consequences.' They shuddered. Mori took this cue to change the subject.

"You cook well."

Haruhi let out a breath and smiled, "Thank you!" Kamalei gave him a small smile, it didn't reach her eyes. The limousine pulled up and the chauffer opened the door for them. The boys smiled pleasantly and bid the girls farewell. Haruhi and Kamalei waved before heading back upstairs. Haruhi held Kamalei's hand in comfort the whole way.

The hosts rode in silence for five minutes before Tamaki worked up the courage to question Kyouya. "Kyouya, what do you know about Kamalei's father?"

Kyouya frowned pushing his glasses up. "The information I have acquired is a private matter of Noriko-san's and, as thus, is not up for discussion." He gave a stern stare to his friends. Mori and Honey nodded in understanding. The twins narrowed their eyes, but said nothing. Tamaki looked perplexed. _Is it that bad? Sure, Kyouya keeps secrets, but usually only for his own benefit._

"You'd tell us if it was important, right?" Tamaki stared at Kyouya with a serious, yet concerned expression. Kyouya returned his gaze for a moment before conceding.

"If the situation calls for it, then yes, I will inform you. As it currently stands, it is of no importance." Kyouya stated then added, "To us, at least." He knew Kamalei had not been informed of her sire or the situation that occurred after her mother was found pregnant. He hoped the situation would never arise where he would inform the others; it would be dire indeed. He gave his head a mental shake. _No sense in dwelling on what may never happen._

Tamaki nodded at his answer and let it be. Honey quickly took to gushing over Haruhi and Kamalei's cooking and how he couldn't wait to visit again. The others went along with him knowingly, but didn't really mind. It had been a great day, one they would soon repeat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Hi everyone! I think we are finally done with the foundation chapters! It's time to begin the turn of the story. But, I am a bit conflicted. I want to do the Halloween chapter, but I'm ready to deviate from the OHSHC plot. There's a ping pong battle going on in my head! Well, que cera cera. Thank you to everyone for reading! n.n**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it. **

* * *

This morning was not a good morning; at least, not for Kyouya Ootori. He was sitting in an unfamiliar place groggily trying to gain his bearings. He had been asleep, in his bed. He woke up on a bench. _Where the hell am I?_ Taking in his surroundings, he deduced he was at the commoners' convention Tamaki had been going on about since summer break began. _But how did I get here?_ The events of the morning played back through his memory.

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Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, and Mori entered Kyouya's room like it was a dragon's keep. They were all dressed in casual pants and t-shirts, so they would 'blend' better. Although, from Mori's designer polo to the twins' complete Hitachiin ensemble, it was obvious it was all brand name. Kyouya was dead asleep while Tamaki and the twins were arguing over who would wake him up.

"Nuh-uh, Boss. We're not going to incur the shadow king's wrath. This was your idea. You can do it." The twins stated while hiding behind Mori. Tamaki gulped and walked to the king sized bed. Steeling his resolve he lightly shook Kyouya's shoulder.

"Kyouya, wake up." He said softly. Kyouya mumbled incoherently, grabbed the covers, and pulled them over his head. Tamaki pulled at the covers to no avail, Kyouya had a death grip on them. Tamaki climbed on the edge of the bed, grabbed Kyouya's side, and rocked him back and forth violently. "Wake up!" he whined.

"Tamaki!" Kyouya growled. He peeked from the covers glaring darkly at his idiot best friend. The twins and Honey cowered behind Mori. Tamaki shuttered.

"C-come on Kyouya, it's the day of the convention! Let's go discover the commoners' world!"

Kyouya looked at his clock. "Its 9 A.M., I went to bed at 5 A.M. It is summer break, so I am going back to sleep." He growled lowly, daring Tamaki to try again. Unfortunately for him, Tamaki really wanted Kyouya to go.

"Please, it won't be the same without you!" Tamaki whined. Kyouya pierced him with invisible daggers.

"Kyou-chan is really grouchy." Honey stated the obvious. Mori and the twins stared at him blankly.

"You have no room to talk." Mori put plainly.

"I'm not that bad…" Honey gave them an innocent stare. The twins rolled their eyes while Mori just ruffled his hair with a knowing smirk.

"Look, you are all capable people and are more than able to do what you want," Kyouya stated barely conscious, locking his stare on Tamaki. Tamaki took the statement the complete opposite direction it was meant.

"Do you really mean that, Kyouya?" Tamaki gave him a surprised, but hopeful look. Kyouya couldn't stay awake any longer. His head nodded and he slumped over.

"He just nodded!" the twins exclaimed.

"Come on, you heard the man! Let's dress him to the nines and be on our way!" Tamaki declared. They dressed Kyouya in jeans and a tan shirt, threw him over Tamaki's shoulder, and went their merry way. They were so distracted by the shops and booths that they forgot about Kyouya, who had been placed on the bench when Tamaki looked for the map, and left him as they ran excitedly to explore the convention.  
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_That idiot…_ Kyouya looked for his missing friends, he was alone. _I'll just call a car._ He reached into his pocket…no cell phone. He reached into his other pocket… no wallet either. A dark aura surrounded him, his eyes twitched, and his stare struck lightning. The shadow demon of the host club had been awakened. _I'll kill him!_ He set off to kill Tamaki, but a familiar voice stopped him.

"Is that Kyouya-sempai?" Haruhi asked Kamalei. Kyouya spun around facing the two female hosts. His demon aura faded as he thanked his lucky stars. He placed his emotionless mask on. His stomach growled.

"What are you doing here? I didn't take you as the type to explore a shopping convention." Kamalei questioned. He looked them over. Haruhi was in a pink dress with dark pink accents, blue capris, a white cardigan, dark pink flats, and a white purse. Kamalei wore a fitted red t-shirt with black cargo hip huggers, black boots, and a back pack. Kyouya pushed his glasses up.

"How much money do you have on you?"

"Eh?" Haruhi and Kamalei gave him confused expressions. He found them quite cute; giving them a smirk he explained his situation.

"I'll have Tamaki reimburse you tenfold, so lead the way to the convenience restaurants." He instructed. Haruhi and Kamalei blinked.

"Sempai, we'll feed you. But, even I don't like the food served in conventions like these." Haruhi said bluntly. Kyouya raised his brow.

"You?" he almost laughed, the food obsessed girl was picky? "What do you suggest then?"

Kamalei pointed to her pack, "We made lunch."

Not giving him the chance to object, the girls lead him to the food court. It was crowded, noisy, and smelt of grease. Kyouya, Kamalei, and Haruhi scrunched their noses at the smell. Suddenly, Kyouya found himself very glad the girls couldn't stomach what he smelled. Kamalei looked around and sighed in relief when she saw open tables outside.

"Thank goodness. We don't have to eat in here." She bee-lined for the patio with Haruhi and Kyouya close behind. They sat in the shade as Kyouya watched them unpack a family sized bento box and three drink bottles. Haruhi unstacked the boxes revealing the large amount of food. There were enough cucumber tea sandwiches, mini quiche, and tea cakes to feed six people. Kyouya looked at the girls questionably, there was no way they could consume this much on their own.

Kamalei giggled, "We didn't know how long we would be here, so we packed extra."

"Lucky for you, huh?" Haruhi smirked handing him a bottle. He smirked back.

"It is quite fortunate." He drank from the bottle discovering iced tea with honey and lemon. "Did Noriko-san teach you to make all this?"

"Yes, as you know the English half of her upbringing takes pride in high tea. She taught us Japanese tea ceremony, as well." Kamalei smiled. Kyouya nodded enjoying the food. Haruhi tilted her head in thought.

"It's not fair how much you know about us."

"How do you mean?" Kyouya inquired.

"I mean that you know so much about our families, but we know next to nothing about yours."

"You have two brothers, right? Tell us about them." Kamalei suggested. A glare shone across his glasses, hiding his eyes.

"They are exactly as they are expected to be. This is why my father expects me to prove my worth, in an attempt to surpass them." Kamalei and Haruhi shivered.

"No offence, but that sounds cold." Haruhi said.

"On the contrary, I can think of nothing more fun."

Kamalei shook her head, "How do you and Tamaki-sempai get along so well? You're opposites."

"It's simple really, we benefit each other."

"I don't think Tamaki-sempai would be very happy if he heard you say that." Haruhi commented in thought.

"He already knows. He's known from the beginning. All of the hosts are using each other's relationships as a benefit." Kamalei and Haruhi blanched. "We may be friends now, but we all have planned on benefiting from each other in the future since the beginning. There is quite a bit you don't know about us."

A group of girls, who had been eyeing Kyouya, chose to walk up at that moment.

"Excuse me, but may we use this chair?" one asked Kyouya, even though there were obviously enough chairs at the unoccupied tables around them. She gave him a smile. Kyouya didn't even look at her.

"Sure, why not?" he replied boredly. She practically squealed thanking him before taking the chair and walking away with her now buzzing friends.

_Wow, he really doesn't care unless he is benefiting from the situation._ Haruhi thought. They sat in silence while they finished eating. Haruhi and Kamalei thought about the wall they felt between themselves and their friends. Would they ever get past it? Did they want to?

The three packed up and walked around looking at the booths. A snack booth caught Kyouya's eye. It had melon flavored products on display. He picked up a box and skimmed the ingredients.

"Hey Haruhi, Kamalei, why go through the trouble of making something that is primarily made of corn, taste like melon? Why not just buy a melon?"

"Pfft!" Haruhi and Kamalei doubled over laughing. Kyouya stared confused. "Ha-ha, sorry Sempai, but for someone who is nothing like Tamaki-sempai. You sounded just like him." Kamalei explained.

"You're right; this is something that he and the twins would take interest in." Kyouya chuckled and turned to the stall clerk. "Two, please. Haruhi, money."

Haruhi sweat dropped, "Just be sure to include the receipt."

They continued looking through the booths, laughing at odd products and enjoying each other's company. Kamalei spied some pottery that looked slightly familiar, but it also felt off somehow. She pointed the booth out to Haruhi and they walked ahead. As they got close enough to examine the pottery, the stall clerk snapped at them.

"Hey! Don't touch my wares!" The scrawny man with a handlebar mustache and slicked back hair shooed the girls from his table. "Poor punks like you don't have the right to touch such treasures. Really, it's so irritating to have customers who don't know their value."

"Ah, sorry…" Kamalei retreated with Haruhi back to Kyouya. His eyes were locked on the stall clerk, the sheen of his glasses hiding his expression.

"You know about that pottery, Kamalei?" he inquired.

"Uh, no. Not really. It looks similar to the pottery on display at Uncle's workplace…Something is off; I can't put my finger on it though... Sorry, for dragging you into that Haruhi, I thought you might be able to help me figure it out." Kamalei rubbed the back of her head nervously, taking an interest in her shoes.

"It's no big deal," Haruhi gave her a comforting smile.

_It seems Kamalei has a good eye,_ Kyouya thought as he watched an elderly woman approach a bowl on the vendor's display.

"Isn't this a masterpiece of the famous potter Omatsu? I can't believe I'm seeing it here!" the elderly woman expressed to the stall clerk.

The stall clerk changed his sour disposition, giving the woman a big smile. "Why, yes! You have excellent taste, madam! Indeed, such rarities don't usually appear at such places. This is a cherished heirloom of the Omatsu family!"

"Madam, that is but a fake." Kyouya injected himself into the conversation.

"How dare you!" the stall clerk growled.

Kyouya ignored him and continued, "The shade of blue is similar to that of Omatsu's work, however, the shading gradates darker at the bottom of the bowl and the color is too dark in general." He picked up the bowl turning it over. "Ah, as expected, the seal on the base of the bowl is too broad in its strokes…I do hope you have your authenticity papers."

The stall clerk was sweating nervously, "I forgot them at home!"

Kyouya smirked, "Really, now? Well, I am well acquainted with the Omatsu family. Shall I call them for confirmation?"

The stall clerk paled. The confrontation had drawn a crowd that included convention security. They immediately dragged him away for questioning. The elderly woman gave Kyouya her thanks before the president of the convention center pulled her to the side giving her his deepest apologies.

Haruhi and Kamalei were impressed by Kyouya's eye, but a little confused by his behavior.

"I thought you only did things that would benefit you, sempai." Haruhi said, wondering if maybe Kyouya had a kind side he masked behind his indifferent façade. Kyouya looked at her with a smug grin.

"Oh, you didn't notice? That madam is the wife of the president of a renowned electronics company. Her ring is highly recognizable."

Haruhi and Kamalei were shocked. _So it was for benefit after all…_ They both shook their heads, but paused glancing at each other in thought. _But there were people standing in the way… there was no way he could see her ring from where we were standing._ Kamalei felt a small tug on her lips. She and Haruhi pulled Kyouya along with them away from the crowd. He raised a brow at them.

"Sempai, what is your definition of benefit? Is it money or reputation?" Kamalei started their inquiry.

"From our position, there was no way you could see that madam's ring. Were you trying to stand up for us when you saw the stall clerk being rude?" Haruhi continued.

"Regardless of you, Tamaki-sempai, or the others, the meaning of benefit can't be as shallow as money or reputation." Kamalei finished. Both girls looked directly as his eyes, reading his expressions.

Kyouya was astonished. These common girls had seen right through his façade. "That is-"

The intercom loudly cut him off, "Attention. Kyouya Ootori is lost. I repeat, Kyouya Ootori is lost. His guardian, Souh, is very concerned as Kyouya is currently penniless. Little Kyouya is 5 feet 9 inches tall, has black hair, wears glasses, and was last seen in jeans and a tan shirt. If anyone sees him please contact the information desk."

The people around the three were staring.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"He's a bit old to be lost, isn't he?"

The whispers were becoming so numerous they blended together. Kyouya clenched his teeth and began shaking. He was livid. Kamalei and Haruhi dropped his hands and stood petrified as the dark aura permeating from Kyouya engulfed them. They were seeing the shadow demon of the host club for the first time. They were frightened, very frightened.

Kyouya glared through the crowd, "I'll kill him!"

Haruhi and Kamalei clutched on to each other. They were literally shaking in their boots.

Tamaki, Mori, Honey, and the twins were waiting at the information desk. Kyouya walked up with Haruhi and Kamalei trailing slowly behind him. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Kyouya! You're safe! I was so worried… Why are Haruhi and Kamalei with you?" Tamaki started out relieved, but slightly became nervous when he noticed Kamalei and Haruhi. Their expressions were quite drained. Honey and the twins got excited seeing the girls.

"Yay! Haru-chan and Kama-chan are here!" Honey chirped.

"Let's play!" the twins chorused excitedly.

Haruhi and Kamalei let out sighs. Haruhi just wanted to go home. Kamalei was just happy Kyouya hadn't started strangling Tamaki. Mori ruffled both of their hair in an attempt to bring up their spirits. The girls gave him small smiles.

"What's in your back pack, Kama-chan?" Honey asked, he thought he caught the scent of something sweet. Kamalei giggled, _Of course he would pick up the scent of the tea cakes._ She opened her pack and grabbed the tea cakes.

"Well, technically, I have a whole lunch in here. But, I'm pretty sure you are asking about the tea cakes. Am I right, Honey-sempai?" Kamalei gave him a sly grin. Honey started jumping up and down.

"Can I have some? Please?" he begged giving her the cutest smile he could muster. Kamalei rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Of course, did you really even have to ask? I'll always share with you." She gave him a smile offering the small, fluffy, cookie shaped cakes to her small sempai. The twins and Tamaki looked interested, as well. "You all can have some too, if you like." She said knowingly. They pounced at the opportunity to try more of Kamalei and Haruhi's cooking. She gave the pack to Mori and stepped back, letting them eat the rest of the bento.

Kyouya decided to use the other's distraction to finish his earlier conversation with the girls. "So as you were saying, you think I helped you out of some sort of emotional benefit. Is that right?"

"Y-yeah…that's true, sorry." Kamalei looked away embarrassed.

"You know, earlier when you tried to make us think you only helped that madam because of benefit, it confuses me. You go through all the trouble of acting like you're such a big jerk, when being kind comes naturally to you. It seems counterintuitive, if you ask me." Haruhi looked Kyouya straight in the eye, gave a knowing smile, and shook her head returning her attention to the others.

Kyouya dropped his mask giving a soft look and smile towards the two girls. No one was looking, so he found it safe, if just for a moment. _That's an intriguing notion, in its own way._ He was finding his interest piqued more and more around Haruhi and Kamalei. They were slowly breaking through the wall between their world and the hosts'. The hosts were changing, as a result. He could hardly wait to see the outcome.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I must admit, this is a mushy chapter. There is some key information in it, but nonetheless it tis mushy. I wonder if I am being too obvious with my pairing choices, so I have decided to try and see if I can throw you off. Thank you for reading! n.n

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it.**

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November arrived with a quickness Haruhi and Kamalei had never experienced before. Between their school work and the hosts' antics, time had flown. The girls had discovered more and more about their new friends.

Tamaki is a kind soul who can't turn a blind eye to anyone's plights. Yes, he's flamboyant and idiotic at times, but he makes a point in helping those he can. The girls find themselves wondering what miracle their 'king' will attempt next.

Hikaru and Kaoru are loyal to a fault. Hikaru is over protective, while Kaoru is soft and kind. Their world is opening little by little. They may be pranksters and love to tease, but they will never leave your side when you need them. Well, except maybe when they've been separated. Haruhi found that out after getting caught in a net with Hikaru on Halloween. As soon as she got them out, he shot off to find Kaoru. The girls are honored to have been let in the gate and to help them grow.

Mori is protective of those he cares for. He is opening up more to the girls since they helped him with his 'apprentice,' Ritsu Kasonoda. Although, he would have preferred Kasonoda to not have found out Haruhi and Kamalei's secret; especially because he found out by walking in on them changing. THAT he definitely could have lived without. Haruhi and Kamalei are almost as good at reading Mori's subtle expressions as Honey now.

Honey is a little willful at times, but always means well. He is also the best on reading other's feelings. Between spending time with the girls when Kamalei let her sweet tooth out and their help with his little brother, Yasuchika; they got closer. Kamalei and Haruhi got through to Chika more than anyone ever had, even Mori's little brother Satoshi. Especially Kamalei, she faced Chika head on to defend him, even if he didn't need it. She solidified Tamaki's words with her own that day, "So what if he likes cute things? So what if he loves cake? That doesn't make him an alien! He is more than qualified to be the next head of the Haninozuka's. He has true strength because he is brave enough to be himself! You will never beat him until you can do the same!" Her words would forever be etched in his heart. Honey is happy to have her and Haruhi's friendship.

Kyouya's wall of indifference is now invisible to the female hosts. They are no longer afraid of him, as they know behind the mask is a kind nature. He often finds himself in their homes because he enjoys being there. It started out by Ranka inviting him, but grew into so much more. He could drop the mask and receive no judgment or ill will. He and Haruhi like to engage in playful banter and battles of will while Kamalei keeps score. He finds them to be exceptional people and friends.

The group has grown close and is becoming a family. Even though, they could all due without Tamaki's delusions. Now, the week of Thanksgiving has arrived; and though they live in Japan the Ichinose's and the Fujioka's celebrate it each year. Noriko had visited family in America when she was young and loves the idea and meaning behind the holiday. For her it is about gathering family and close friends to share their thankfulness for one another.

The girls found they were in a new situation this year. For the first time, they wanted to invite friends. Mori, Honey, and Kyouya would be easy. They visit at least once a week as it is. The twins wouldn't cause a huge fuss, so no worries there either. Tamaki however, was another story. Haruhi and Kamalei feared his reaction. He would be so excited he would sweep them into the twirling bear hug of death. They needed a strategy. Telling him on the phone would only delay his reaction. They weren't sure what to do sans tying Tamaki up. The idea made Haruhi grin evilly and Kamalei cringe. They currently had two options; tell them all together and try to hide behind Mori in time, or tell Tamaki last while hiding behind Mori. Either way they felt they were being unfair to their large friend. Sure, he has always been willing to save them from the craziness of the princely host, but it felt wrong to ask him to have to hold Tamaki back. They thought it was essentially asking him to protect them from an oncoming freight train. The blonde packed a wallop whether you were ready or not.

The girls decided to leave it to fate and hopefully they would come out unscathed. It was past mid-night and since it was Monday, they had a morning meeting to go over the plans of the host club for the week. They headed to bed, hoping to sleep enough to function for the coming day.

Kamalei glared at her alarm clock, it was 5:30 AM. She did not want to get up; she didn't sleep well at all. She resigned knowing she needed to and grudgingly got ready for the day. Kamalei bumped into a zombie like Haruhi in the hall; having knocked heads, they groaned like said creature. They grabbed their bags and some granola bars leaving for the 6:15 train. It was an hour ride to Ouran because of all the stops, plus Ouran Academy was on the north side of Tokyo and they resided in the south side.

The train was full as usual, but not so much so that they were sardines. That didn't happen until the 7 o'clock train. Kamalei held on to a strap from the ceiling as Haruhi wrapped her arm around a pole. The drone of the train buzzed through their ears. Haruhi looked out the window watching nothing in particular as she thought about what needed to be done for the day. Kamalei swayed slightly and shook her head to wake herself; the drone of the train was lulling her to sleep. She tried to think of exciting things, but it was all for naught.

"Kamalei!" Haruhi shouted as she saw her pass out and hit her temple on the corner of the bench. She may have been sleeping at first, but now she was definitely knocked out. Haruhi cradled her head in her lap, until she came to. Luckily, that happened before she was forced to attempt carrying her. Kamalei leaned on Haruhi as they walked from the station to school. She held her head trying to stop the world from spinning.

Amazingly, they were the first to arrive to the club room. _That's new,_ Haruhi thought going to the kitchen for some ice. Kamalei sat on the sofa with her head resting on the back. She held the ice to the throbbing lump and muttered a small thanks, her dizziness finally receding.

It was 7:25 when Tamaki burst into the room with the others in tow. He noticed Haruhi and Kamalei sitting on the couch with their backs to them.

"Good morning!" he sang. He was about to go on about how proud he was of them for being early, when Hikaru cut in.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Noticing the bump on Kamalei's temple, Tamaki scrambled to kneel in front of her. "My poor darling! How did this happen?! Did someone hurt you?! Is someone bullying my baby?!"

Kamalei wanted to roll her eyes, but it hurt too much. "I fell asleep on the train."

The three apparently smarter males in the room grimaced. The twins and Tamaki blinked staring at her. "Eh?" Hikaru and Kaoru were trying to figure out how she could hit her head by sleeping. She could see the cogs turning in their minds. Tamaki's expression was blank; there could have been a tea party of mice in his head for all she knew. Kamalei wanted to face palm, _Really?_

Haruhi did face palm, "She was standing…" Twin light bulbs went off and they winced at the thought. Tamaki's light bulb, not so much. "Standing. As in she fell asleep in an upright position and hit her head when her body could no longer hold itself up…"

His eyes widened, "Oh…"

"It's time to get on with the meeting," Kyouya stated unimpressed with Tamaki's deductive skills.

"But mommy! Our daughter is sleep deprived!"

"Tamaki!" Kyouya snapped. Everyone took their seats quickly. Honey and Mori on either side of the girls, the twins in the love seat, and Kyouya and Tamaki took the arm chairs. "Good, now this week is relatively simple. We will do a Greek gods cosplay on Wednesday and have an extended tea for our most loyal patrons on Friday." Everyone nodded. "Hikaru, Kaoru, is everything ready for Wednesday?"

"Almost," they replied together. "We need to do the final fittings," Kaoru elaborated.

"Alright, we'll do that after club then." Kyouya stated as he wrote in his notebook. Kamalei nudged Haruhi with her leg.

"Oh yeah, uh guys, this Thursday we are having a Thanksgiving celebration. We were hoping you all could come." Haruhi said tentatively. There was a round of agreement. The twins were nodding with their eyes closed before the words sank in. Their eyes popped open in surprise, but Tamaki's over exuberant reaction paused their own.

Tamaki shot out of his chair cooing over the girls, "Oh my beautiful daughters are throwing a party for our family!" He started a run to close the short distance, Haruhi and Kamalei braced for impact. He scooped them up flying over the couch and spun them in the deadliest hug yet. The twins jumped into action each grabbing Haruhi and Kamalei's legs attempting to pull them free. They girls were officially a tug-of-war rope and felt as if they had been strapped into a medieval torture device. They couldn't focus, the room was spinning.

"Let go!" Haruhi ordered. Kamalei groaned in pain as Tamaki gripped their necks tighter.

"Tamaki, let go!" Kyouya was starting to panic the girls were turning blue.

"No! I have to save our daughters from those evil doppelgangers!" Tamaki replied ignoring the obvious worry in Kyouya's voice.

"Us?! We're trying to save them from you!" the twins defended. They were barely able to keep their grips, so the girls wouldn't go flying. Yes, normally, they did antagonize Tamaki by clinging to the girls, but this time they just wanted the girls to return to their normal color.

Honey and Mori had had enough, Tamaki wasn't listening to reason. Mori lifted the girls to safety and placed them next to Honey behind the twins. They gasped for air holding their throats.

"Haru-chan, Kama-chan, are you okay?!" Honey asked concerned. Mori and the twins stood as a wall between them and Tamaki. Kyouya scowled when he checked their necks and his eye began to twitch. Honey quirked a brow deciding to take a look. When he saw the tell tale signs of bruising, all cuteness in him fled.

"Tamaki…" Honey growled darkly. Tamaki squeaked and cowered.

"I-i-it's those twin devils' f-f-fault!" He stammered trying to pull Honey's attention off of himself. His smaller sempai did not fall for it. Tamaki was pulled by the collar of his shirt until he came eye to eye with Honey.

"No. They were trying to stop you. They had good intentions. You," Honey pointed to the bruise forming on Kamalei's neck. "You did that!"

"I-I d-didn't m-mean to!" Tamaki stuttered with his eyes wide, "I would n-never try to hurt m-my precious daughters! Isn't that r-right mommy?!"

The unwanted nick-name just added to Kyouya's already furious mind. _How can he not know how hard he was gripping? _Pinching the bridge of his nose,he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt; this was the idiot king they were talking about."Tamaki, you may never have done so on purpose, but your overzealous acts of affection have indeed hurt Kamalei and Haruhi." He stated matter of factly effectively sending Tamaki to his corner of woe.

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at their king in irritation. The urge to make him pay sent them forward with matching evil smirks. Intentionally whispering loudly enough for him to hear they began his torture. "Hey Kaoru, don't you think Boss went too far?" Hikaru asked his double. "Yeah, Hikaru, you know he sends them flying on a normal day. He should know how to hold back by now." Kaoru replied. "He should, he should." Hikaru repeated. "I bet he didn't even think how he was hurting them, cutting off their air supply like that." Kaoru said. There was a pause before the twins send their final jab together, "Unforgivable." Tamaki shrunk further into darkness with each statement. The twins snickered darkly, leaving him to wallow.

In the kitchen Kyouya checked on Kamalei's bump before he let her and Haruhi leave for class. "The swelling is down. You should be bump free by lunch."

Kamalei placed the ice in the sink before she and Haruhi proceeded to kiss the cheeks of Mori while they hugged him.

"Thanks Mori-sempai, we wish you didn't have to protect us all the time. But, we really appreciate it." Haruhi said softly.

Mori's cheeks flushed lightly, "No problem."

Upon entering the classroom the girls felt a pair of arms slither around their shoulders. Hikaru rubbed his cheek against Haruhi's and Kaoru did the same with Kamalei's.

"We knew you loved us!" they chirped in stereo. Haruhi and Kamalei were used to the twins disregard for personal space, so they just diverted them to class work as usual.

Kamalei sat with her customers for the afternoon and tried to hide the fact she was nodding off. The club had been open for an hour and luckily her princesses were unaware. Kyouya, Honey, and Mori however, were all blatantly aware. All watched her from their peripheral vision. Kyouya chuckled inwardly; Kamalei and Honey were truly cut from a similar cloth. Honey caught Kyouya's eyes with a question. Kyouya nodded in permission.

Honey excused himself cutely, "Naptime!" He grabbed Usa-chan walking over to Kamalei. She looked at him in confusion when he grabbed her hand and tugged. "Usa-chan wants you to nap with us, Kama-chan!" Realizing this was his way of helping her; she smiled and excused herself from her guests.

All of the girls in the room watched as Honey led Kamalei to his nap area. The flames of moe burned in their eyes and could no longer be contained when Kamalei snuggled her head into Honey's chest while they cuddled Usa-chan between them. "Moe!" the girls exploded.

Kyouya smirked as he considered the profits of repeating this on occasion. Tamaki and the twins didn't like the scene before them. Honey looked very masculine in that moment.

Hikaru and Kaoru felt a twinge of possessiveness; she was their toy not Honey's. Mori warned them off with a glance, not that it was needed. The aspect of waking the demon beast in the smallest host was enough to keep them away.

Tamaki was having trouble holding back. He looked back and forth from Kamalei cuddled into Honey and Kyouya. His daughter was way too close to her 'uncle,' it just wasn't appropriate. His control broke and he ran to Kyouya. "Mommy! We must extract our baby from Honey-sempai! Uncle or not, it is inappropriate for a girl to be that close to a male, that is not her father, before marriage!"

Kyouya felt a headache coming on. Oh how he loathed that nick-name. They were lucky the guests thought Tamaki calling Haruhi and Kamalei his daughters was an extra effort to bring more dimension to an ongoing cosplay for their club. "Look daddy… Kamalei needs to rest and is more than safe with Honey-sempai. Besides, the customers like it. I will personally throttle you if you wake them up and release Honey-sempai's demon; which would scare the ladies and cause profit loss. Leave them alone. Am I clear?" he ground out threateningly.

Tamaki visibly paled. "Crystal," he squeaked.

"Good, now please escort the ladies to the door as club is ending early today for fittings."

Tamaki obeyed and saw the customers out with his usual charming smile. The twins busied themselves with the fittings of the hosts that were awake until naptime was over.

The days passed quickly and Thursday was upon them. Haruhi and Kamalei had been excused from club activities in order to do preparations for that evening. It was five and the guests would be arriving shortly. Noriko and Ranka were happy their girls finally had friends close enough to invite to their gathering. Everything was ready, so Noriko scooted the girls off to get ready. Mitsuzu, an old family friend, had made them new dresses, as usual. They were excited to see how they turned out.

"They are growing more and more beautiful, we are going to have to beat boys AND girls off with sticks soon." Noriko giggled imagining her best friend chasing away potential suitors. Ranka smirked evilly imagining a similar picture. In middle school, the girls had been confessed to at least once a week. He relished the memory of the cowering boys that had come to their home hoping for a date, but got sound beatings instead. It had been quiet since they started at Ouran, but with how things were going whether others thought their girls were boys or not… He laughed menacingly. Noriko gave him a knowing smile. They were wearing blouses in fall colors, Noriko in burnt orange and Ranka in golden yellow. Ranka had a rich brown pencil skirt and Noriko wore the matching fitted slacks.

A knock on the door signaled the arrival of their guests. Noriko opened the door to find Mitsuzu and the hosts. Mitsuzu fluttered in gushing over how good Noriko and Ranka looked. The hosts watched as another transvestite in a brown dress with accents of burnished red, golden yellow, and burnt orange began to catch up with Ranka.

Noriko giggled, "Come in, make yourselves at home."

The boys filed in all wearing varying colors of button up shirts and pants. The apartment was beautifully decorated in fall colors.

"Thank you for having us," Kyouya said eloquently as he and the others sat at the table. Tea was already awaiting them. The group chatted, but Mitsuzu, who faced the hall, stopped abruptly when he saw the young girls he considered family wearing the matching burnished red dresses he had made.

"Oh my… you two are simply gorgeous!" he gushed as he quickly gathered them into a loving embrace. Noriko and Ranka smiled widely in approval. The boys were in silent awe. Their only female friends, their secret princesses, looked exquisite. The twins visibly swallowed their mouths suddenly dry. Kyouya pushed his glasses up to hide his expression. Honey and Mori gave the girls a smile, both appreciating their beauty. Tamaki was about to rave over how beautiful his daughters looked, but winced as he felt Ranka's nails dig into his leg. He glanced to his left to see Ranka daring him to do anything. Tamaki gulped and held his actions. Haruhi and Kamalei blushed at the attention as they sat.

Noriko, Haruhi, and Kamalei uncovered the dishes in the center of the table. The aroma hit and the hosts immediately found their mouths watering. It was the best stew pot they had ever had the pleasure of tasting. The women smiled happily knowing their friends and family were enjoying the food.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Noriko announced it was time to give thanks. Their new guests looked around in question.

"It is tradition that each person express what they are thankful for," she explained. The boys nodded in understanding, but looked apprehensive. She giggled, "Don't worry, Ryoji, Mitsuzu, and I will start." Pausing for a moment she smiled, "I am thankful for my intelligent girls getting into the school of their choice and for the good health of our family."

"I am thankful for old and new friends, my girls' success, and my family's growing happiness." Ranka said softly.

"I am thankful for my friends, who are my family, and for my pension's success." Mitsuzu said happily and looked to Honey to continue.

"I am thankful to have friends that accept me for who I am." Honey said with a cute grin.

"I am thankful for my family and friends." Mori said simply.

It was Tamaki's turn, "I am thankful for my host club family."

Kyouya was hesitant; he wasn't used to this kind of openness. But he refused to be rude. "I am thankful for friends who can look past the mask." Tamaki smiled warmly at him.

The twins were up, Hikaru started. "I am thankful for my brother." Kaoru smiled, "I am thankful for you too, Hikaru." Glancing at Haruhi and Kamalei, they readied themselves for the honesty they were about to let out. "We're also thankful to have met two people who can undoubtedly tell us apart." They finished together holding hands under the table. Haruhi and Kamalei were surprised by the confession and smiled warmly.

"I am thankful for family, new experiences that have opened my eyes to what I was missing, and for friends that have become family." Haruhi said looking at each of her friends.

"I am thankful for family and the best friends I could have ever hoped for. I have never been so glad to have broken a vase." Kamalei finished with a small giggle as the others joined her, even Kyouya chuckled warmly.

Noriko looked over the people around her table, she was truly thankful to have such happiness. _Look at our girls, Kotoko. Look how much they've grown._

Curiosity finally got the better of Tamaki, "May I ask where you picked up this tradition?"

Noriko smiled, "It was my favorite time of year as a child. My family would gather at my uncle's home in America. It was a warm time without the rules of high society breathing down my neck." The boys, except Kyouya, were shocked.

"You come from a high class background?" the twins questioned meaning no offence. Noriko just giggled at them while she nodded.

"Which family?" Honey asked with a chorus of curious grunts following. Noriko, Ranka, Mitsuzu, Haruhi, Kamalei, and Kyouya looked at the clueless group like they were dense.

The twins and Tamaki were confused, "What?"

"Oh my, I thought it would have been obvious. Seeing as I never changed my name." Noriko pondered aloud. The twins, Tamaki, Honey, and Mori gaped in realization.

"You're from the Ichinose's?!"

Honey wanted to slap himself for his denseness. Mori thought along the same lines with his shinai. The answer had been blatantly displayed before them. Noriko's English background may as well have been a flashing sign. The Ichinose's owned the most successful tea company in Japan and England. No wonder Haruhi and Kamalei had such vast knowledge of anything to do with tea. They had been taught by the heir of the best. Then the question hit like a ton of bricks; they shouldn't be living in an apartment.

"What happened?" Tamaki asked. Noriko gave him a knowing smile, she knew of the Souh family and his situation. She felt for the boy.

"I was disowned," she replied simply. All of the male hosts, except Mori and Kyouya, gasped. Kyouya already knew and found the Ichinose's actions toward their ex-heir detestable, even though he knew high society was unforgiving about those types of things. Noriko smiled sadly remembering her parents' hateful words, but she regretted nothing.

"I made a choice that didn't sit well with the image my family holds with such high regard." She looked at Kamalei, her beloved child, with adoration. Kamalei gave her mother a comforting smile. She knew she was the reason, but also knew her mother would change nothing.

Slowly the knowledge clicked throughout the room. _Kamalei has no father…_

Honey looked at his female best friend imagining his life, the hosts' lives, without her. He shivered; Haruhi and Kamalei had opened their hearts and changed them all for the best.

The boys all shared the same thought,_ Thank God Noriko-san didn't give in._

Sensing the sadness from the boys, Ranka decided it was time to change the subject. "Who's ready for dessert and games?" he asked cheerfully.

Honey blinked, "Dessert?" Haruhi and Kamalei giggled filling the room with joyful lightness as they left to bring dessert. Kamalei carried a mandarin orange cake and Haruhi carried coffee mochi ice cream. Honey had two slices of cake as Kamalei knew he disliked the bitterness of coffee. She smiled sweetly at his grateful expression.

Haruhi placed two mochi on her and Kyouya's plates. Kyouya raised his brow discreetly at her, everyone but Honey had cake and mochi. No, he wasn't really a fan of sweets, especially cake, but he specifically remembered not mentioning that fact.

Haruhi gave him a knowing smile and whispered with a wink, "I don't really like cake either, unless its strawberry." He slightly stiffened at the fact the Haruhi had seen right through him. She giggled softly shaking her head, "Relax. Your secret is safe with me."

Kyouya relaxed as she turned to the conversation of the group. Using the glare to hide his eyes, he let them soften on her thinking, _No matter how unnerving it is, I truly am thankful._

The party continued till late in the night, full of laughter and games. It was the best Thanksgiving Haruhi and Kamalei had had in years. An ever guiding star shown a little brighter at her family's happiness finally being unbound.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it.**

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Chapter 8

"Hey, sorry! Gotta go! Bye!" Kamalei relayed quickly as she and Haruhi hurried out of the music room for the third time that week. The hosts stared in wonder at the now closed doors, but they couldn't chase after them because they were still entertaining their guests. Haruhi and Kamalei's customers had been strangely absent this week and the others, for the life of them, could not figure out what was happening.

Two hours later and the princesses were being escorted to the door by Tamaki. Normally, the girls would be cleaning and the boys would either leave or wait for them. They tried to help in the past, but were now strictly forbidden because the twins, Honey, and Tamaki made more of a mess than they cleaned. Today, the male hosts had made an unspoken appointment with one other to discuss the recent secretive nature of their favorite girls. The twins sat fidgeting, waiting impatiently for Kyouya to begin the meeting. Honey ate his cake in thought, while Mori and Kyouya picked up the tea sets and placed them in the kitchen.

Tamaki closed the doors and stood silent for a moment. His fingers began twitching slowly moving up his arms until he gave in and yanked his hair. "Arrggghhhhh! What are my babies doing?! It's not good to keep secrets from daddy! Are they in some sort of trouble?!"

Kyouya groaned; this was not how he wanted to start the meeting. "Tamaki, sit and we will discuss this calmly." Tamaki started to protest, but stopped at the glare Kyouya sent him. He sat with the others and pouted. Kyouya took a deep calming breath. He was concerned enough; he didn't need Tamaki's ridiculous notions as well. "Alright, as you all know, Haruhi and Kamalei have been skipping out all week. Their customers have also been inexplicably absent, and I have to wonder as to why. Does anyone have the slightest clue what is going on?" Kyouya asked frankly.

"No. To be honest, Kyou-chan, I was hoping you knew." Honey said concerned.

"We don't have a clue," the twins stated a little down trodden. "They avoid the question every time we ask."

"So no one knows why my daughters are disappearing?!" Tamaki stood up, freaking out. Mori pushed him back down and gave him a look that said, 'calm down.' Tamaki let out an over dramatic, deflated sigh.

Kyouya was surprised Honey knew nothing. Honey, Mori, and he were extremely close with the girls. It didn't sit right with him that they weren't privy to the recent happenings and it pushed him to reveal something he hadn't meant to. "You haven't been over lately either?"

Honey and Mori shook their heads in the negative, "We thought they were studying for finals or something."

"That doesn't make any sense! We study with them all the time!" Kyouya growled in frustration. Tamaki and the twins' heads had snapped to Kyouya at his question. Hikaru narrowed his eyes and Kaoru's eyebrows shot up. Tamaki turned into a bumbling fool, unable to put a coherent sentence together.

"That doesn't mean they don't study on their own. Maybe they're worried about keeping their scholarship? You know that they can't drop from the top position in their class if they want to stay here. Maybe they're feeling the pressure and didn't want to burden us since we have our finals too?" Honey offered as an explanation.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hikaru burst before Kyouya could answer. "Are you saying you three have gone to Haruhi and Kamalei's without us?" He, Kaoru, and Tamaki stared at the three in question.

Kyouya tensed realizing he had let the cat out of the proverbial bag. He shared an apologetic look with Honey and Mori. It's not like it was a secret, it just hadn't come up. Kyouya pushed his glasses up and attempted to deter them. "Yes, but that is not the point at the moment, so if you would please stay on topic…"

"Mommy? Why didn't you tell me?" Tamaki asked feeling left out. His best friend had been spending time with Haruhi and Kamalei; why hadn't he and the twins been invited?

Kyouya held in his exasperation, "Because it never came up, Tamaki. And don't go thinking that the girls don't like you, because they do. We just clicked and it became our norm, well until recently anyways. We haven't been over since Thanksgiving. They kept saying they were busy… Which now that I think about it, was the start of this whole mess!" Honey and Mori nodded in agreement.

Hikaru bit his cheek, he was upset. The two people closest to him and Kaoru, the only ones that had broken through their wall, had been hanging out without them and it made him jealous. Kaoru squeezed his hand for comfort. He squeezed back knowing Kaoru felt the same.

"Fine, but we get to come next time!" Tamaki pouted. Hikaru grunted his agreement.

Kaoru decided to go with Kyouya's lead on this. He felt jealous, but what was going on with the girls took precedence. "So should we follow them tomorrow? We only have until the end of the week when winter break starts and then they go to Karuizawa."

"Yes! We'll call it the 'Find out what Haruhi and Kamalei are hiding spy mission!'" Tamaki stated with gusto. The others groaned inwardly at the name, but went with it anyway. They huddled and began their plans.

Mori listened to the scheming of the oncoming escapade, but had his own thoughts as to what was going on. It struck him when Kaoru mentioned winter break. He couldn't be sure, but the girls had told them that they would be spending most of the break in Karuizawa, at Mitsuzu's pension. Maybe they were preparing? "Mitsukuni."

Honey looked to his cousin and understood. "Maybe we should let Haru-chan and Kama-chan be. We all have family obligations to attend to during winter break, maybe they are preparing for their own?"

"What could they possibly be preparing this early? They have to travel to Karuizawa, so it doesn't make since to prepare now. Besides, Kyouya said they've been doing this since after Thanksgiving!" Hikaru had had enough of the secrets and finding out about Kyouya, Honey, and Mori just made it worse.

Kyouya thought that Honey made a valid point, but there was no stopping the trio now. He decided to tag along, so they didn't cause too much trouble. Getting the vibe from Kyouya, Honey and Mori resigned to follow as well. This could either go flawlessly or end horribly; they prayed it was the former.

Haruhi and Kamalei peeked into the music room and saw that their customers had kept with their end of the agreement again. They had told them that they needed time to make them a special surprise and that it would be ready on Friday. The girls jumped at the chance to receive something from their favorite hosts. Haruhi smiled thinking of how silly the princesses could be. Seeing Kyouya, she decided to speak quickly and get out just like they had been.

"Hey, so no customers today, huh? We'll be going then!" Haruhi said as she was pulled out the door by Kamalei. Kamalei was excited. They had been working on presents for their friends since Thanksgiving and had finished yesterday. Now, all they had to do was make the ribbons and roughly six dozen iced sugar cookies for their customers. They each had 20 loyal customers, so they had a lot of bows to make!

The other hosts had told their customers that the club would be closed in preparation for the next day. They were doing a Christmas cosplay and decided to use it as an excuse. They followed the girls out of the school and tailed them in a limousine. They watched out the windows as the girls ran in and out of shops in a quick pace. So far they had visited a fabric shop, craft shop, and a grocery store. There was no telling what they were up to.

Kamalei looked behind them and saw the limousine. Limousines didn't come through this part of town, unless it was the hosts. She pulled Haruhi and made a dash for the alley, there they could go through the building and get out of sight.

"Wha- wait, Kamalei!" Haruhi protested as she was dragged into the employee's door of a department store.

"The guys are following us! We need to lose them!" Kamalei explained. They ran through the store to the other side. It let out to another alley that led to the street parallel to the one they had been on.

"What the hell?!" Hikaru exclaimed. They had watched the girls make a run for it and disappear into an alley.

"They made us." Kyouya stated obviously. Inwardly, he was proud that the girls had noticed them. But, their reaction made him curious, so he was torn. "Head to their apartments and park on the side. We'll watch for them to come home and pay them a surprise visit." He smirked, _I will find out what you two are hiding._

Honey and Mori saw the change come over Kyouya; he had gone to the dark side. They could only hope the girls could outsmart the shadow king, at least this once. They shook their heads as the car parked where it wouldn't be seen.

Haruhi and Kamalei peeked around the building and saw a pair of red heads and a blonde peeking around the side of their apartment building. They quickly hid before they were seen.

"Well, I guess we'll have to go through the back. That way they won't think we came home." Haruhi offered a solution.

"Yeah, but we'll need to get a disguise to cross the street." Kamalei mumbled. _It's a good thing we're done with our Christmas shopping._ She rolled her eyes at the situation, only their friends would be outrageous enough to stake them out.

They went into a thrift shop and bought some oversized hoodies and pants. They changed into the clothes and tightened their belts so that the pants wouldn't fall off of their hips. They approached the corner, placed everything they bought in the extremely large pockets of the pants and hoodies, and pulled the hoods up. Slowly, they crossed the street with sunglasses hiding their eyes.

"Here goes nothing…" Haruhi whispered.

"Anything?" Tamaki asked.

"No, just a couple of commoner boys and an old lady." The twins answered. They were getting impatient; the girls should have been here by now.

"Wait, do the boys have bags? They could be in disguise." Kyouya asked and looked for himself. To his disappointment the boys didn't have bags, and they were too big to be Haruhi and Kamalei.

Honey and Mori looked at the boys crossing the street, something was off. They remained silent and waited. The boys passed the opposite side of the building and went toward the back. The other hosts were too busy watching the other side of the street to notice as Honey and Mori slipped away. Heading to the back they heard dogs starting to bark like crazy.

Haruhi and Kamalei made it across without a problem. Now, they faced a five foot wooden fence and a locked gate. Looking at their balconies above, they decided to boost one of themselves up and pull the other. Being the same size it was more about athletic ability, which meant Kamalei was the booster. They took off their sunglasses; they would only be in the way. Kamalei locked her hands and knelt. Haruhi gripped the top of the fence and placed her foot in Kamalei's hands. She pulled herself up and on top of the fence as Kamalei pushed her up. Sitting on the fence she grabbed Kamalei's wrists and pulled as she climbed up.

"What now?" Haruhi asked.

"I climb up, balance between our balconies, and pull you up." Kamalei said as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Haruhi's eyes widened as Kamalei did just that. With one foot on each balcony, she was nearly spread eagle. She pulled Haruhi by her wrists so that she could grab the rail. Once Haruhi got a firm grip, Kamalei grabbed her belt and pulled up to help her over the rail. After Haruhi was safely on the balcony Kamalei reached carefully for the railing.

Honey and Mori turned the corner to the back of the building to see Kamalei balancing between the balconies and pushing Haruhi over the rail. They were impressed. They watched as Kamalei reached for the rail and Honey tried to warn her as her foot started slip.

"Kama-chan!" Honey gasped out. Kamalei's head whipped toward his direction in surprise. That was enough to throw off her balance and completely lose grip with her foot.

"Eep!" Kamalei squeaked as she started to fall. Haruhi quickly grabbed her wrist only to end up gripping her sleeve. The hoodie was so big that Kamalei fell through it when Haruhi grabbed at her wrist.

"Fuck!" Haruhi ground out as Kamalei caught the arm hole of her other sleeve, nearly pulling her over the rail.

Honey and Mori were having heart attacks. They were too far away to get there in time, but they ran anyway.

Kamalei dangled scantily clad with the hoodie only covering her arm and head. She tugged her head out so she could see. Haruhi was struggling to pull her up.

"Hold tight. Help me swing toward the wall." Kamalei instructed. Haruhi grunted and swung in time with her. Once she could anchor her feet on the wall she pulled herself up with the momentum of the last swing and grabbed the bottom of the rail. The hoodie drooped over her face again; she slipped her arm out and grabbed another rung of the railing.

"Haruhi, take the hoodie. It's in the way." She said blowing the bangs out of her eyes. She shivered gaining goose pimples as Haruhi pulled the hoodie off of her. The winter wind decided to blow her way, "Bbbbrrrrhuhuh!" Kamalei quickly pulled herself over the rail and rubbed her arms for warmth.

"Ahem." Mori cleared his throat averting his eyes. He was relieved she was safe, but he was having trouble fighting his blush at seeing her in her bra. Honey had lost the battle and was a lovely shade of crimson. He suddenly found the dirt extremely interesting.

Kamalei and Haruhi looked down at their friends. Kamalei quickly fumbled with her hoodie and slipped it back on, a flush hastily taking over her body.

"Uh, hey guys," Haruhi said awkwardly.

"Yeeeaaahhh…" Honey drew out, "You wanna tell us what this is all about?"

Kamalei and Haruhi sent them pleading looks. "Please wait until tomorrow! It's a surprise and we don't want to spoil it!" Kamalei begged.

Mori wanted to scold them for being reckless, but couldn't with them looking at him like that. Giving a sigh he replied, "Okay. What about them?" He pointed toward the side of the building. Surely they heard something.

"We'll take care of it." Haruhi stated, "You can tell Kyouya, it's a surprise and he'll get it tomorrow, if he won't back down after our deterrent."

"Deterrent?" Honey asked with curiosity.

"You'll see." Kamalei smirked before she and Haruhi slipped inside.

Honey and Mori nodded and went to stop the others as they heard them coming. Tamaki and the twins rounded the corner followed by a frustrated Kyouya.

"We heard something! Was it them?" Tamaki asked the older hosts. Honey and Mori shook their heads negatively. The twins and Tamaki slumped in exasperation. Kyouya, however, quirked his brow seeing the remnants of a blush on Honey's face.

"Let's go check if they're home anyway." Kyouya stated, staring Mori in the eye. Mori stayed emotionless, so he didn't give anything away. Kyouya huffed as he stalked to the Fujioka's door, knowing the man was off today, and knocked.

Haruhi and Kamalei quickly ran to the living room, grabbed the boxes of decorations they had packed to take to Mitsuzu's, and proceeded to throw the contents all over the room. They needed it to look like they were preparing things for Christmas. Ranka sat on the floor already surrounded in wrapping paper and ribbon and went wide eyed in shock as his girls covered the room, and himself, in garland, tinsel, and bows.

"What are you two doing?!" he cried to stop them. They turned to him after throwing the boxes into the corner.

"We were never here!" They said in sync and bolted out the door they had come in.

"Girls!" Ranka called in vain, they were gone.

*knock-knock-knock*

Ranka's face was twitching; those girls had better clean this up. He answered the door to see the hosts. The expressions they had went from antsy, hidden frustration, and normal to wide eyed shock, hidden shock, and terribly hidden mirth. Honey covered his mouth barely containing his giggling and Mori, try as he might, could not wipe the grin off his face or the amusement in his eyes. Ranka narrowed his eyes on Honey and Mori, _They know!_

"Hello boys, what brings you here today?" Ranka greeted them attempting to look normal. He had been thrown through a loop and was still reeling.

When Ranka had opened the door, the last thing Kyouya expected to see was what greeted him. Ranka stood there with garland draped over his shoulders, tinsel throughout his hair, and a silver bow on his head. Behind him, the living room looked as if a Christmas bomb had exploded and there was no sign of the girls. Kyouya fought to keep his facade.

"Good afternoon, Ranka-san. We were hoping to pay a visit to Haruhi and Kamalei." Kyouya answered. When the idiot three stayed wide eyed, he elbowed the twins and stepped on Tamaki's foot.

"Oof! Hey- oh! Good afternoon, Ranka-san!" they said together trying to regain their composure.

"I'm afraid they aren't here, at the moment." Ranka said with a plastered smile. He knew the girls had been working on presents for their friends and were trying to keep it a surprise, so he forgave them for the mess. Although, he didn't think they needed to take it so far.

Kyouya scrutinized the man in front of him and searched every space he could see behind him. Something was amiss, but he would have to take Ranka's word for it. He doubted the girls could have climbed to the balcony anyway…_Wait!_ He glanced at Honey and Mori. He saw their attempts to hide their amusement and forced himself not to narrow his eyes. _I will talk to them later!_

Seeing Kyouya's reaction, Ranka took back his last thought. They did need to take it that far, and it seems even that didn't fool the youngest Ootori. Ranka decided he needed to send them away before his poor girls froze on the balcony. "Well, I hate to send you away, but I have a lot of preparing to do. I will let the girls know you dropped by." He waved as the young men disappeared down the stairs. He locked the door and headed to the balcony to let the girls know they were gone.

"Thank you!" the two hugged him gratefully.

"And sorry, we'll clean up and repack everything." Haruhi said sheepishly.

Ranka had to laugh now that he'd gotten a look at their clothes. His girls were drowning in them. "Pfft! It's quite alright, girls. But I think I deserve some cookies after all that!"

Haruhi and Kamalei giggled happily with him, "Sure thing!"

The boys piled into the limousine. Three of them felt a bit defeated, but they would try again the next day. The other three sat in silence, one boring into the other two as they looked out the windows.

Kyouya deliberately had the twins and Tamaki taken home first. Honey and Mori knew something and he was going to find out!

Tamaki climbed out of the car and said goodbye, "Until tomorrow, my friends!" He had noticed Kyouya's tension and thought it was because of their failed mission, "Don't worry, mommy! We'll get those pesky daughters of ours to tell all tomorrow!"

Kyouya forced a small smile and nodded, _Idiot!_ The door closed and it was finally just him, Honey, and Mori. He cleared his throat. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

Honey gulped, he saw the threat in Kyouya's eyes. "Now, Kyou-chan, don't be angry. The girls will reveal everything soon." He tried to be cheerful, but the glare he was getting from Kyouya was unsettling.

"I know you know something. Spill. It." Kyouya stated. He did not like not knowing.

Mori wanted to roll his eyes. When Kyouya got started he was like a dog with a bone. "Be patient."

Kyouya's eyes snapped to Mori. He held a lot of respect for his large sempai and didn't take it lightly when he told him to do something. He gave him a look telling him he needed more than that.

Honey sighed, "Haruhi said to tell you that it's a surprise and you'll get it tomorrow. That's all we know."

Kyouya raised his brow, "And when did she tell you this?"

"They were the 'teenage boys' that crossed the street, Kyou-chan." Honey used air quotes and continued, "They climbed the fence and pulled themselves onto the balcony."

Kyouya's eyes widened slightly, "How did they manage that?" He knows Kamalei is more athletic than she looks, but Haruhi hardly has any muscle to speak of.

Honey scrubbed his face flushing slightly at the memory. "Trust me, they managed. They gave us minor heart attacks, but they managed."

Kyouya looked between them, insisting on all details. Mori gave Honey the nod to go ahead and Honey told all, except Kamalei's clothing predicament. By the end of the tail, Kyouya couldn't believe they went to such lengths to keep their surprise a secret. He was going to have a talk with them tomorrow.

When the hosts came to set up the club room the next morning, Kyouya didn't get the chance to talk to the girls as he had wished. The twins and Tamaki had a different conversation in mind. Tamaki started his questioning as soon as Haruhi and Kamalei walked in.

"Why have you been having play dates with mommy and your uncles without daddy and your brothers?!" he questioned with his hands on his hips.

Haruhi and Kamalei felt blindsided. "Huh?"

"We know you have been hanging out with them more than us!" Hikaru said raising his voice. He was trying to control his temper, but was failing miserably. "Why?!"

Haruhi raised a brow at him. "Because pretty much every time we invited you two, you said you were busy." She said plainly.

Hikaru blinked and turned to Kaoru for confirmation. Kaoru nodded, much to his own annoyance. He could not deny she was correct. "Pretty much?" Kaoru asked wanting to know the exclusions.

"You denied our other invitations because we asked you to study with us." Kamalei crossed her arms slightly annoyed, but shrugged it off. "After a while, we figured that you two hate studying. So, we stopped inviting you when we were."

The twins felt sheepish. They hadn't realized how many times they had declined the girls' invitations. They had been busy for months in the fall, helping prepare their mother's fashion show for October. They also realized that the study invites had stopped somewhere between August and September. It's not that they hate studying. After all, they were tied for second in class. They just preferred to play, so they turned down the study invites in lieu of something fun. Seeing how close Haruhi and Kamalei had become with Kyouya, Honey, and Mori made them regret their choices.

"And what about me? It's not nice to leave daddy out." Tamaki broke in since the twins looked to be conversing silently with each other.

Haruhi's eye twitched at the daddy comment. "First off, you are not our father! Second, do you not remember being busy as well?"

"Uh, well…" Tamaki trailed off. He had been busy, but he could have made time right? _They could have at least asked, instead of assuming._

Kamalei rubbed her temples, reading his expressions. "We **did** ask, Tamaki-sempai…" She looked him straight in the eye, "You had important family business to attend. Something about pleasing your grandmother. Please, don't read more into the situation than what it really is."

It was Tamaki's turn to feel sheepish. He shouldn't have assumed that they had assumed. His shoulders slumped in defeat. He now remembered several instances the girls had asked if he was busy. Every time he had obligations to do something his father told him would please his grandmother. "You're right," he said apologetically as he stared at the floor.

Haruhi and Kamalei shook their heads and thought of a way to lighten the mood. Glancing at each other, they got a mischievous glint in their eyes. The twins were behind Tamaki and they were all distracted by their thoughts. They were in the perfect position. Haruhi placed herself five feet behind Hikaru and Kamalei mirrored her actions behind Kaoru. Honey and Mori looked at them questioningly, but Kyouya got the gist and grabbed his camera. Haruhi sent him a smirk. Getting a running start they pounced on the twins' backs and held themselves on with their knees. They proceeded to pinch Tamaki's cheeks and the twins' outer cheeks before they pulled.

Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes bugged out, almost falling over when the girls jumped on them. "Woa- wha!" they called as their cheeks were pulled.

Tamaki had no time to react to the twins' shout of surprise before he felt two arms wrap around his head and his cheeks being pulled. "Hu- ah!"

"Smile you ninnies!" they chimed in their ears as Kyouya snapped several shots. Hearing the camera Tamaki and the twins looked up in shock at Kyouya. Catching on, Tamaki beamed a huge smile and the twins shared their trade mark smirks.

Hikaru and Kaoru held on to the girls' legs and started to spin and run in circles. Haruhi and Kamalei, though getting dizzy, went with it.

"On Dancer!" Kamalei shouted pointing to the undecorated tree. She wrapped her arms around Kaoru's neck as he ran laughing with her. He dropped her in the pile of garland and tickled her until tears appeared in her eyes. He grinned cheekily at her and she returned it.

"On Prancer!" Haruhi called out as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He ran toward a seating area.

"Prancer, huh? Hikaru jested zig zaging to the love seat.

Haruhi smirked deciding to tease him some more. "Perhaps, you would prefer Vixen?" she whispered, in a seductive tone, to his ear. Hikaru halted flushing from head to toe. He glanced to the side seeing Haruhi's smug smile. He smirked and tossed her on the love seat.

"You better believe it!" He said tickling her to immobility.

Tamaki laughed at the scene and looked at the pictures Kyouya had taken. The group relaxed as the tension disappeared and decorated the room chatting before they left for class.

"Merry Christmas!" the hosts greeted their princesses. The guests opened the doors to an enchanted winter wonderland. There was frost in intricate designs on the windows, icicle lights strewn across the ceiling, and a large Christmas tree decorated in silver, gold, and red with presents underneath. The hosts were in elf costumes, except Tamaki. He was Santa, without the belly and beard. The customers were in awe and giddy with excitement. Haruhi and Kamalei's guests were especially excited.

"Please, enjoy yourselves ladies." Kyouya invited the ladies as the hosts went to their designated areas. He could hardly believe his eyes when forty of the young ladies flocked toward Haruhi and Kamalei, who were waiting in a large circle of sofas with a pile of gift wrapped boxes in the center. He watched curiously, as he had not been told about this.

"Hi everyone!" Haruhi said giving her natural smile as she seated her guests.

"P-please have a seat," Kamalei said playing shy for her guests as she escorted them.

"Oh! We're so excited!" one of the girls exclaimed, sending the whole group into a frenzy. Haruhi and Kamalei smiled at their excitement. They started to pick up boxes and give them to the girls, they had written their names on the tags in calligraphy. The girls gushed at how pretty the boxes and writing were. All of them waited bouncing in their seats to open their gifts. Once they all had their boxes Haruhi and Kamalei nodded for them to open them.

They all carefully opened the wrapping as not to rip it and delicately lifted the bows out of their boxes. The bows were gorgeous. They were three looped bows made with red and green striped silk and were accented with silver bells that would chime as they walked. Underneath the bows were two beautifully decorated iced sugar cookies, a snow flake and a Christmas tree, wrapped in plastic so the crumbs wouldn't go everywhere.

"These are handmade, aren't they?" one of Kamalei's guests inquired. Kamalei blushed and nodded. The girls all gushed.

"You made these, for us?" one of Haruhi's guests shyly asked blushing. Haruhi smiled and nodded. The girls burst into screams delight.

The girls all started putting the bows in each other's hair excitedly and ate their cookies while enjoying the tea Haruhi and Kamalei served them. This was a fantasy come true for them, the two boys they were enamored with had made and given them gifts. They felt truly special. The girls talked and laughed enjoying their time with each other and their hosts. Staying away during the week had been well worth it to them all. At the end of the club time, all of the girls hugged and kissed Haruhi and Kamalei on the cheeks, thanking them and wishing them a happy Christmas and New Year.

The other hosts had watched the female hosts when they could sneak a glance. They were happy none of their guests noticed that Haruhi and Kamalei's guests had different presents on their way out. They had received presents as well, poinsettia hair clips, but they were not handmade by the hosts.

Tamaki closed the doors after escorting the ladies out. He released the breath he had been holding, they were home free. He turned and dashed for Haruhi and Kamalei, unable to hold back any longer. He scooped them up and crushed them in a bear hug. "That was so cute! You two made your princesses so happy!"

Haruhi and Kamalei struggled in his grip, he had them by the waist and they couldn't get away. "Tamaki-sempai, please let go!" Kamalei gasped out. Haruhi was fighting a grimace and she was sure Kamalei was too. They were both sore from their escapade. Kamalei's arm was extremely tender and Haruhi's ribs were bruised. "If don't let us go, we can't give you your surprise." Haruhi told him hoping it would catch his attention.

Tamaki released them immediately. "A surprise? For me?" he squeaked like a little girl at her first carnival.

Haruhi straightened her clothes, "Yes, now go sit down and we will bring it to you." She pointed to the sofas by the Christmas tree. "We have surprises for all of you," she told the others motioning for them to join Tamaki.

Tamaki, the twins, and Honey were bouncing in their seats just as much as the guests had been. Mori and Kyouya quietly took their seats. The girls asked them to wait a moment and went to lock the doors before heading to the kitchen and closing the curtain. The male hosts wondered at this, but didn't have to wait long. Haruhi and Kamalei came out of the kitchen carrying two service trays, one with eggnog and the other with a box. What caught the boys by surprise was what they were wearing. The girls had changed into Santa dresses, including hats and gloves, Haruhi in red and Kamalei in green. They placed the trays on the coffee table and went to the tree grabbing three presents each. The boys were surprised they didn't notice the extras when they had decorated the room. Kamalei gave a present to Tamaki, Kaoru, and Honey while Haruhi gave a present to Mori, Hikaru, and Kyouya, then they sat in the love seat across from everyone.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" they chimed together. Haruhi served the eggnog as Kamalei opened the box revealing a cake shaped like Usa-chan wearing a Santa hat and iced sugar cookies decorated to look like the hosts in Santa hats.

"Usa-chan is a cake!" Honey exclaimed happily.

"And the cookies look like us!" the twins and Tamaki said in awe.

The girls giggled, so far so good. They just hoped they liked their presents too.

"Can we open them now?" Honey asked sweetly. The girls nodded and the boys started unwrapping with much anticipation.

Honey was the first to reveal his present. His eyes grew as big as his smile. "So cute!" It was a gi with Usa-chan on both sleeves and three on the belt, two on the end and one in the middle. His name was embroidered along the back of the neck in the same red as Usa-chan's bow. He noticed the card and read it. 'Dear Mitsukuni, we thought it was time that your gi matched your wonderful personality. You have brought so much joy into our lives; we hope to do the same for you. We love you! Haruhi and Kamalei.' The card was signed with hearts and smiley faces. He was speechless; he could tell they had made it by hand.

Tamaki was the next one to get his open. "Wow! How neat, it has all of our host colors!" In his box lay a thick white bracelet with seven musical notes of red, light blue, orange, violet, navy, pink, and royal blue. Under it was a small card. 'Dear Tamaki, this is a friendship bracelet. We made it with all of our colors, so you could hold us close no matter where you are. You are truly a great friend and we will always support you, even if you can be a little crazy. Love, Haruhi and Kamalei.' A winking smiley face followed their signatures. He fingered the bracelet like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Hikaru and Kaoru opened theirs in tandem. Their eyes widened taking in the handmade scarves. Hikaru's was light blue with orange accent stripes and on the end the kanji for loyal and fierceness were embroidered in golden thread. Kaoru's was orange with light blue accent stripes and had the kanji for loyal and kindness embroidered in golden thread on the end. Each had a card pined to them. Hikaru's read, 'Dear Hikaru, you are fierce with your emotions and picky on whom you let in. But, when you let someone in you accept them fully, no matter their flaws. Thank you for letting us in. We will always accept and believe in you, just as you have for us. Haruhi and Kamalei. P.S. You're stuck with us now! Love you!' It was signed with a winking smiley face with its tongue stuck out. Kaoru fingered his scarf as he read his card. 'Dear Kaoru, you are kindhearted and make those you let in feel warm with your friendship. We will stay by your side forever to warm your heart as much as you've warmed ours. Love you, goof ball! Haruhi and Kamalei.' A smiley face with its eyes shut and a large grin followed their signatures. The twins inspected the girls' immaculate knitting as they smiled,_ We'll never let you go._

Mori was next as he opened the tube and slid out a scroll. When he unrolled the scroll a note fell to his lap. He stared in awe at the painting. It was him, as a samurai, standing strong and true. The warm colors and the kindness depicted in his picture's eyes spoke volumes as to how the girls saw him. He looked at the note. 'Dear Takashi, you are as strong as a mountain and as graceful as the cherry blossoms in the wind. Thank you for being our listener and protector. We hope to be as great a friend to you as you are to us. We love you, Haruhi and Kamalei.' A smiley face ended the note. He smiled warmly at the girls across from him.

Kyouya was the last to open his gift. He slid his hand along the hand stitched black leather of the laptop bag in his box. To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. It was as unique as he was. The black stitching had violet roses every five inches and on the bottom corner of the bag were his initials in golden thread. He made it so his glasses glare, to hide his eyes, as he read the note. 'Dear Kyouya, you are so much more than your name. You are witty, kind, so very loyal, and more than a bit sneaky. You are our forever endeared shadow king. Thank you for letting us see behind those glasses. We love you, Haruhi and Kamalei.' A smiley face in sun glasses decorated his note. He swallowed his emotions to keep his composure. He would thank them properly, without the mask, once everyone was gone.

The hosts were all awestruck. No one had ever taken the time to make something so personal for them. No one had ever taken the time to actually get to know them on this level. The girls had handmade each gift and put their feelings into them. Honey couldn't hold it in; he burst forward, tackling the girls into a hug. The twins and Tamaki followed suit. The girls laughed and hugged them all. Mori lifted them up and rubbed their heads, giving them his biggest smile.

"Thank you! I love it!" Honey told them and he ran to go try it on, it fit him perfectly. He ran back out quickly to show it off.

"Thank you so much! Will you tie it for me?" Tamaki asked. The girls nodded, but also explained that the others needed to tie their own colors because it was tradition. "I get it, so the bracelet is held on by the feelings of those it represents!" He was tickled pink to have something so special.

"They're exquisite! Thank you!" the twins said while putting their scarves on.

"Thank you, it is wonderful." Mori stated gratefully.

"It is well made, thank you." Kyouya said giving them a small smile and a nod.

Haruhi and Kamalei gave them their biggest smiles. They loved that they loved their gifts. The room got very quiet suddenly; the girls had to look at the friends in question.

Seeing they were looking for answers, Honey obliged. "We just feel bad because we didn't get you anything."

Haruhi and Kamalei laughed and smiled warmly at them as they shook their heads. "But you did, you gave us the best present we could ever want." Kamalei explained.

When the boys looked like they didn't understand, Haruhi stepped in. "Your friendships are all we ever want from you. We don't expect gifts or favors from you. We did this because we wanted to make you happy."

This was a new feeling to all of the boys as they examined the females in front of them. In their world you didn't do something like this without expecting something in return. Family things were an exception to the rule, even in Kyouya's. But, in non-familial bonds everything was business, cut and dry. They had had a similar arrangement with each other until Haruhi and Kamalei came along. These girls were their oasis in the desert. Haruhi and Kamalei dropped their eyes and blushed at their long stares, they were feeling a bit exposed.

"You are so cute!" Tamaki, Honey, and the twins gushed.

"So this is what you've been hiding from us." Kyouya stated with a knowing tone.

Haruhi rubbed the back of her head and Kamalei flushed more. "Well, yeah. We wanted to surprise you." Kamalei said quietly.

The twins gasped in realization, "And we almost ruined it yesterday!" They cuddled up to the girls and rubbed their cheeks against theirs. "We should have known it was nothing bad," Hikaru started. "We knew you would have told us if you needed us!" Kaoru finished.

The girls laughed, "Well, you certainly made things interesting getting home. That's for sure!" Haruhi said glancing at Kamalei, Honey, and Mori. Kamalei turned crimson at the memory.

"What's this? What happened? You weren't home when we came by!" Tamaki asked excitedly.

"Uhh… yeah we were…" Kamalei said hesitantly, her face still lit up like a Christmas tree.

The twins studied them, "But how? We never saw you."

"Boys in the hoodies." Mori stated simply.

The twins and Tamaki gaped. "That was you?!"

"How did you get in, though?" Kaoru asked.

"We climbed up to the balcony in the back." Haruhi shrugged. Kamalei took a breath and tried to calm herself, but failed miserably when she met Honey and Mori's gazes. To make it worse, Honey flushed as well.

"O-ho! What happened that was so embarrassing?" Hikaru teased looking between Kamalei and Honey. Haruhi and Mori shared a look that was the equivalent of 'uh-oh.'

Kaoru felt a pang of jealousy as once again it appeared Honey and Mori shared something with Kamalei and Haruhi that he and Hikaru did not. He buried it by continuing the teasing, "Hmmm? I wonder what it could be… maybe someone wasn't so graceful during her climb?" Kamalei hid behind her bangs, he hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, now he was curious why being ungraceful would affect Kamalei so much, and that still didn't explain why Honey blushed as well. _What the hell happened? She's shy, but she never stays flustered this long. Especially, after the fact!_ This was not easing his jealousy.

Hikaru was thinking along the same lines, but he was not tactful as usual and blurted his thoughts. "What? It's not like you flashed them!" Honey turned redder and Kamalei was now hiding in her knees. To add to it, Mori was now slightly flushed as well and Haruhi made the 'yeesh!' face at him. Hikaru's eyes bulged along with Kaoru and Tamaki's. Kyouya even lost some of his composure at this new development.

"How the hell did that happen?!" Kaoru snapped from the shock. He was already jealous, the shock broke his control. Seeing Kamalei flinch slightly at his raised voice, he back peddled. "I mean why…how…fuck! I'm sorry!" he buried his face in his hands in frustration at himself. _Why is this getting to me?!_

Hikaru watched as his brother spiraled downward. It was unusual for Kaoru to lose control of his emotions, but it wasn't unheard of, for him at least. He decided to remedy the situation, "Kamalei… you don't have to tell us. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." He watched her relax some and finally sit back up. She was still pink, but better than before.

"It's alright, you didn't know. It's not a big deal, just really embarrassing. I don't mind telling you. Besides, it is kinda funny." Honey, Haruhi, and Mori scoffed at her statement. "Well, **now**… Not then! I mean, think about it guys, what are the odds?" she implored at the three.

They deadpanned at her, but obliged. Haruhi was the first to see her point and started to snicker. Mori nodded and swayed his head from side to side admitting he could see the humor. Honey face palmed with a chuckle and a huff.

Kyouya, Tamaki, and the twins waited for the story. Kyouya knew the story, but apparently Honey had left out that part. Becoming more curious, as he couldn't pin when or how it might have happened, he asked, "Care to elaborate?"

"Yeah, what happened to cause my darling daughter to lose her dignity in such a way?" Tamaki inquired now that he was over the shock.

Haruhi and Kamalei inwardly groaned at the daughter comment. Haruhi sent Kamalei a look asking for permission. When she nodded, Haruhi proceeded to recount their escapade beginning at running from the limousine. Tamaki and the twins nearly screeched their protest when she got to the part where Kamalei slipped, but they managed to hold it in seeing that Kamalei was obviously fine. As she finished telling them how they had thrown the decorations around the room before the hosts had knocked, the boys were all chuckling.

"So that's why Ranka-san looked like he was ready to throttle us when he answered the door!" Hikaru chuckled into Haruhi's shoulder.

"No more oversized clothes for you!" Kaoru told Kamalei trying and failing not to laugh too much at her expense.

"Agreed!" Kamalei replied with a big smile. She didn't mind their laughter at all.

They all enjoyed the cake and each other's company until six thirty rolled around. Tamaki was the first to leave because he had a family dinner to attend. Honey and Mori followed shortly after him, so they could make it to Chika and Satoshi's tournament that evening. The twins walked the girls to Kyouya's car, seeing as he offered to take them home before they could.

Now it was just the girls and Kyouya. They got the feeling he had something to say, so they remained quiet and waited. Kyouya sorted his thoughts deciding he would lecture them on safety, and then he would thank them properly for his bag. He signaled Tachibana for the privacy screen and it was done.

"You know you two shouldn't have gone through the lengths you did, just to surprise us. You could have gotten hurt pulling a stunt like that." He dropped his mask and let his eyes remain seen. He was genuinely concerned and they could see it.

The girls knew this was coming from either him or Mori. Kamalei sighed and looked him in the eye. "I know the balconies weren't my brightest idea, but it's our first Christmas together. We knew that this was our one chance to really surprise you all. You guys would know every year after this, so we went for it. I will try not to be so reckless in my next endeavor." She gave him a small smile. Haruhi leaned on her palm as Kamalei spoke and nodded in agreement.

Kyouya pursed his lips, he knew they were right. Haruhi leaning on her gloved hand brought something that had been nagging him for weeks to the surface. He narrowed his eyes on the black fabric. _I haven't seen them without gloves on for three weeks. _He pointed to Haruhi and Kamalei's hands, "May I?"

Haruhi scrunched her nose at him as she reluctantly let him slide off her glove. Kamalei was hesitant, but gave him her hand anyway. When he revealed their hands, he was once again torn. Part of him was upset and the other part was in awe that they cared enough to make gifts for them, even risking injury. Their hands were covered in bandages. The work they had done was intricate and took skill. They had pricked more than a few fingers. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his emotions were at war, awe won. He did something very out of character, he embraced them.

Haruhi and Kamalei were shocked, but didn't hesitate to return the embrace. They knew this was hard for him and different. It meant the world to them that he could open up like this for them. When he pulled out of the hug, he saw their warm smiles and gave one of his own in return.

"You two…" he paused, "Thank you… Thank you." This wasn't just a thank you for his gift. It was a thank you for everything and he knew they knew what he meant. He gave a small chuckle, _So this is unconditional love. _He knew he was one of the six luckiest men on Earth; he had the best friends money could never buy.

The car pulled up to the girls' apartment building, Tachibana opened the door signaling it was time to get out.

"We'll see you when we get back." Haruhi stated.

"Yes," Kyouya nodded. "No more dangling from balconies." He bore his eyes into them.

"No more dangling from balconies." Kamalei confirmed with a salute and a wink.

Kyouya rolled his eyes and Haruhi couldn't help herself, "Careful, they'll get stuck that way." She smirked at him and shut the door.

He shook his head and gave his retort thinking she wouldn't hear, "With friends like you, indeed they will."

"I would be more worried about Tamaki, if I were you!" Haruhi yelled threw the door.

Kyouya's head snapped up at the fact she had heard him. He smirked, _She always tries to get the last word. I have to admit, she has a point!_ He coughed to hide his mirth from Tachibana, his driver and bodyguard.

The next morning the Fujioka's and the Ichinose's were packed and ready to go to Karuizawa. Noriko had sent Ranka and the girls to the car ahead of her. She would give the hold mail slip to the carrier and be on her way.

The carrier was punctual as usual, but hand a small package addressed to Noriko. She thought it was odd that there was no return address, but accepted it anyway. She wished the carrier a merry Christmas, locked the doors, and opened the box on her way down the stairs.

She unwrapped the object from the tissue paper protecting it and froze. In her hand, was the knife that she would never forget. Her hands started shaking and her knees threatened to give away.

Ranka noticed her reaction and came to investigate. He saw the knife and the terror in her eyes. "That's his knife, isn't it." It wasn't a question, for he knew the answer. He caught her before her knees gave out. She dropped the knife and its box.

Noriko was reeling. _How? Who?_ She glared at the knife Ukrit used to carve his name in her chest; effectively branding her as his property. In his mind, at least. The scarring wasn't bad, but she knew it was there. Right above her heart. Horrifying memories of that dreadful night played like a movie in her head. She glanced at the offending object's box and saw a card. Shakily, she reached for the card. She and Ranka dropped as they read it; Noriko in tears, Ranka to comfort.

'Hello, my Noriko. I have been longing to touch your perfect skin again. Soon, you will be with me once more. You have always been mine, no distance or prison cell will ever change that. Soon, it will be as if we never parted. I'm ready Noriko, are you?'

Noriko struggled not to hyperventilate as Ranka whispered that it would be alright. She took a steadying breath and steeled her will, "We say nothing to the girls, until we are certain." Ranka nodded, there was no need to; not yet. They would not put their girls in a panic over a ghost. He prayed that that was all that this was, a ghost.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it.**

* * *

A man with brown hair paced in his cell. He was getting impatient. His plans were underway and his spies had yet to return from their last mission. A delivery of sorts, he smiled menacingly. _Oh Noriko…did you gasp my name the way you used to?_ If only he could have delivered his gift in person, but it was not to be. The timing was not in his favor. The Reiner syndicate had been working on retrieving their leader since he was convicted. Unfortunately, his rape charge was the catalyst the police needed to pursue his other alleged activities. Add ten counts of arms smuggling and here he was, sixteen years later, and finally, his escape was nearing fruition.

Footsteps echoed down the cell block. Two large guards stopped at his cell. "Reiner, you've got visitors." The one unlocking his cell said in deep baritone.

The second guard took out a set of cuffs with chains attached. "You know the drill."

Ukrit held out his wrists and studied his new guards as they cuffed his wrists and ankles. He narrowed his dark brown eyes on the guard with the deep voice. The guard stared back at him unblinking. _I know those eyes…_ The guard blinked once slowly and a small twitch turned up the corners of his mouth. Ukrit's eyes widened slightly in recognition and his scowl turned into a grin. He looked more closely at second guard; he stared right back at him with piercing eyes and a crooked smile. Ukrit's grin grew.

"Move it, Reiner." The first guard ordered. Ukrit slid out of his cell and walked to the visitation room. At the table in from of him were his spies, Katashi and Hideaki. He sat and had his chain attached to the metal table. Katashi's brown eyes met his and bowed his head in respect. Hideaki did the same, before starting the report.

"Ukrit-sama, we visited your woman." Hideaki said without revealing details. The camera in the room was something they were all aware of. Ukrit's eyes flashed maliciously with the grin plastered on his face.

"How was she?" he asked, seemingly innocent. Katashi knew he meant her reaction and had already thought of how to word it without bringing suspicion.

"She was floored with surprise, sir." Katashi said in a pleasant tone to be sure to throw off his true meaning.

"Fantastic!" Ukrit replied in genuine pleasure. He could hardly sit still in his excitement. He cleared his throat, "Please, update me on all the happenings in our family."

"Everything in the family is going well. We have found many successful ventures to execute after the current one is finished." Hideaki answered and brushed his black hair to the side. Ukrit nodded in approval, his escape was on track.

"There is something that has come to our attention. It will interest you," Katashi said and waited to be told to continue. Ukrit raised a brow and focused solely on Katashi. This made the man slightly nervous, but he shook it off and reported his findings. "Your woman has become close with her female neighbor and her son. She and her neighbor often watch each other's children…"

Ukrit had both brows raised now. _Children! Noriko has a child! Better confirm the age before I go too far in either direction._ "Interesting, do they get along well?" he inquired probing for more information.

Katashi understood what his boss needed, "They're as close as fifteen year old boys can be, sir." Ukrit was sure now and he couldn't be happier. _I have a son! An heir! Everything is perfect!_ His comrades knew he was pleased and waited for instruction.

"Please, keep their wellbeing in mind while on your other ventures." Ukrit gave his order with a smile. "It was good to see you, have a Happy New Year." With that Ukrit stood to be escorted from the room. The first guard came and gave him a discreet smug smile that read as 'you dog!' Ukrit returned it with a prideful smile of his own. _Yes, everything is perfect. With Tsubasa and Yori as my guards, it won't be long now._

Kyouya sat in bed on the phone with Tamaki and the male members of their club. Tamaki had been going on for days about taking the girls out when they got home. Luckily, he, with the help of Honey and Mori, was able to deter the twins and Tamaki for a couple of days. Haruhi had called when they got back and expressed that they would be busy with New Years cleaning for a few days and asked if he would keep Tamaki and the twins away. Kamalei had called Honey with a similar plea, so every time 'the king' brought up seeing Haruhi and Kamalei, they would distract him. Today, however, they were not successful.

"Kyouya! We cannot miss the chance to go to the New Year's festival with them! Think of how fun it will be!" Tamaki enthusiastically tried to persuade his best friend. The twins were quick to back him up.

"Yeah! The games and the fireworks!" Hikaru and Kaoru stated in excitement.

"I don't know guys, what if they're busy?" Honey tried, but was quickly distracted.

"But Honey-sempai! What about the festival food?" the twins asked, knowing they'd turn him to their side.

"Food?! Like Karumeyaki and Taiyaki? Oh! And New Year's cakes?!" Honey questioned with gusto.

"Yes, of course! What kind of festival would it be without them?" Tamaki replied, effectively convincing his senior to come.

"We'll be there! Right, Takashi?" Honey said so cutely the others could almost see the flowers coming through the phone.

There was a small pause before Mori conceded, "Ah." He knew the girls wanted to get their cleaning done, but he wasn't about to deny Mitsukuni. _Two days is enough to have finished, I'm sure…_He cringed, thinking of the girls' demons that come out when they're angry. _I hope._

"Alright! You've been out voted, Kyouya! I'm calling Haruhi now." Tamaki said as he added another call to the line. Kyouya rubbed his forehead in defeat. He hoped the girls were done; he really didn't want to deal with the repercussions if they weren't. The phone rang until the machine picked up.

Haruhi's overly pleasant voice recording played, "Hello, you have reached Haruhi's line of too tired to give a fuck. No messages will be taken. Try again tomorrow. Thank you."-click- The line disconnected.

"Mommy! Our daughter's language is atrocious!" Tamaki bellowed. Kyouya coughed to hide his amusement as the twins snickered. Mori started to get a feeling of foreboding. Honey wasn't going to give up with food on the line.

"Tama-chan, try Kama-chan!" Honey instructed. Tamaki dialed Kamalei and once again, the phone, once again, rang until the machine picked up.

Kamalei's tired voice recording played, "Hello, you have dialed Kamalei's line of passed out on the couch. You will now be redirected." There was a small pause. "Hello, you have been redirected to Haruhi's line of too tired to give a fuck. No messages will be taken. Try again tomorrow. Thank you!" –click- Haruhi's voice was not masked in pleasantry this time. The boys felt a shudder through their spines.

"It's those devil twins fault! They are bad influences!" Tamaki yelled into the phone.

"Our fault? We didn't do anything!" the twins defended. They went back and forth with Tamaki for a minute before Honey brought them back to task.

"What about the festival?" Honey asked. Tamaki and the twins immediately thought of the solution.

"We'll go get them!" the three chimed.

"I'll be around to pick you all up shortly! Hikaru, Kaoru, bring outfits for the girls!" Tamaki ordered.

"Duh, boss." Hikaru stated and hung up. Kaoru was already raiding the closet.

Kyouya listened as two more clicks indicated the end of the call and waited for the third.

"Kyouya," Mori said.

"Yes, Mori-sempai." He replied curiously.

"Going unannounced is a bad idea." Mori stated plainly.

Kyouya understood, "Yes, well… just pull Honey-sempai back and I'll push the idiot three in front. That's as good a battle plan as we're going to get." He heard an affirmative grunt from Mori and the call was disconnected. His clock read 10 A.M. Shaking his head, he got ready; he knew he would be the first one Tamaki picked up.

Haruhi and Kamalei were exhausted. The apartments were spotless, but they couldn't move. The girls had lain on the couch, after being forced to wake up for breakfast, and rooted themselves on it. They hadn't gone to bed until they finished everything. Thus, when Ranka festively awoke them for New Year's breakfast at nine, they had only gotten five hours of sleep.

Ranka had gone to work to do a special show and attend a party. He would be back after midnight, but promised they would watch the New Year's sun rise like they did every year. Noriko also had some last minute business come up and told them the same. So, the girls were alone and enjoying the quiet. They had every intension of resting, so they could enjoy New Year's with their parents.

Knocking sounded in twin raps. Haruhi and Kamalei eyed the door and sent each other a silent message. _If we stay really quiet, they'll go away._

-BANG-BANG-BANG-

"Daughters! Daddy is here to see you!" Tamaki sang loudly.

"How do they even know which apartment are in?" Kamalei whispered.

"I don't know! Lucky guess? These are the twins and Tamaki-sempai we're talking about!" Haruhi whispered back. Kamalei looked at her quizzically and then she remembered, the girls had decided they would drop the honorifics after Christmas. "I meant, Tamaki… I'm tired, ok?" There were only two ways they would know, their parents or three particular friends, and their parents were not an option at the moment.

"You don't think Kyouya, Mitsukuni, or Takashi told them, do you?" Kamalei asked.

"No," Haruhi replied simply. There was no reason she could think of that would make them tell, they knew they were busy.

-BANG-BANG-BANG- Three fists knocked in tandem.

"We know you're home!" Hikaru started.

"Please, let daddy in!" Tamaki pleaded.

"It'll be fun, we promise!" Kaoru finished.

Haruhi groaned into the arm of the couch, her aura darkening. Kamalei shifted to stand, Haruhi grabbed her wrist. Kamalei glanced at her before glaring at the door; her aura had already gone to demon mode. Haruhi finished transitioning to her demon, let go of Kamalei, and walked with her to the door. They stood side by side, slamming it open.

"AH!" the three squealed in fear. The girls were so focused on the three in front; they didn't see their best friends standing behind them.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Haruhi asked slowly. Her eyes pierced Tamaki's because he was always the ring leader for popping up unannounced.

"W-w-we w-w-wanted t-to s-s-see y-you?" Tamaki answered, now questioning his methods. _Maybe, I should have taken those recordings more seriously?_

"You don't seem so sure of that." Kamalei bluntly stated. The twins and Tamaki winced at her tone.

"Kama-chan! Haru-chan! We're taking you to the festival!" Honey chirped happily in his own world. He was thinking of all the festival food. Kamalei and Haruhi suddenly noticed the three in the back and upon the word festival, knew who Tamaki's informant was. Their eyes narrowed on the smallest male.

"You." Kamalei and Haruhi said together. Honey's world of food faded away and he noticed the girls' auras.

"Uh oh…" Honey trailed off with big eyes. Now, he remembered why they hadn't seen the girls sooner, _I'm in trouble._ Mori pulled Honey behind him.

"Uh oh?" Haruhi blinked at him. Honey smiled hesitantly at her. He was worried about Haruhi's reaction, she's important to him. But, he was more worried about the one who calls him best friend, Kamalei.

"Honey," Kamalei said to get his focus on her. Honey's eyes shot to hers in surprise, she hadn't used his given name. She'd been calling him Mitsukuni since Christmas.

"Kama-chan?" he asked concerned. Hurt flashed across her eyes, he barely caught it before pure anger took hold. He cringed, _I'm in BIG trouble._ As he thought that, he saw Kamalei take a deep breath.

Kamalei was livid. _I can't believe he told them! Because of a festival?! I can't trust him! _ She glared hard at him and he cringed. She backpedaled, _Wait…Breathe… I can trust him… He just told them because he wanted to go to the festival with Haruhi and me. Breathe… I'm just overtired. Breathe…_ She took two large steps back. She was so tired; she was stuck in her demon. Fearing saying the wrong thing, she ran to her bedroom.

Honey watched the change in Kamalei's eyes. Her emotions changed so quickly, he barely caught them all. Hurt, anger, disgust, shock, determination, and finally, fear. Before he could reach for her, she was gone. _Oh no, you don't!_ He bolted after her, catching the door as she tried to shut it, and forced his way in.

Haruhi remained at the entrance with her hands on her hips. She looked at her best friend, "Explain."

Kyouya let his mask fall since she was the only one looking and used his expressions to plead his case. _This is all Tamaki and the twins. As soon as they got Honey-sempai on board, I was out voted. Sorry, there was nothing I could do._ Haruhi read his expressions and slowly her demon receded. Kyouya noticed the circles under her eyes since she was no longer shrouded in darkness. He pushed past Tamaki and the twins, who were still cowering, and drug Haruhi to the couch.

"I'm going to start some tea," he told her. "Mori-sempai, get those idiots inside, will you?" Mori grunted positively, placed the wide eyed teens in the entrance space, and closed the door.

Mori left the three to come to their senses, choosing to check on Haruhi. Sitting next to her, he stayed silent waiting for her to acknowledge him. Haruhi blew air through her lips and leaned into him. Placing her head on his shoulder, she looked up to meet his gaze.

"You just couldn't say no to Mitsukuni, huh." She said knowingly. Mori's chest rumbled slightly with a chuckle.

"Sorry," he started, but she cut him off.

"It's alright, Takashi. Don't worry so much." Haruhi smiled at him. Mori looked to Kamalei's and her shared bedroom in concern. "He can handle her, I'm sure."

"Ah." Mori stated, but he couldn't look away from the door. Haruhi, tired as she was, decided to distract her friend by snuggling into him.

"Besides, you make a fantastic pillow." Haruhi yawned.

Mori stared at her, _Cute._ He relaxed his body to become softer and she sighed in contentment.

Kyouya brought the tea out and let a twinge turn up the corner of his mouth. "Haruhi, this should help." He gave her a cup and she accepted it gratefully.

"Thanks, Kyouya." Haruhi said and patted the empty space on her other side. Kyouya looked at her with a blank face. He hated to do it to her, but he wasn't ready to drop his mask with the others. Haruhi rolled her eyes and shot him the 'I know you better than that' look. She patted the space again, he reluctantly conceded. Haruhi smiled, settling into the warmth of her friends.

Honey kept his eyes trained on Kamalei as he shut the door. She backed away from him like an angry frightened animal. When her ankles hit the edge of her bed, she sat and buried her face in her palms.

"Kama-chan," Honey said gently. She scuttled back toward the wall and curled her knees up, so she could hide. Honey saw her fists tightening and untightening. He crawled onto her bed and sat beside her. Reaching out, he brushed her hair. "What's wrong?"

Kamalei tensed and forced herself to take a breath. _I'm just overtired…Breathe…Mitsukuni did not betray me…Breathe…For goodness sake! Why can't I shake this?!_ Honey continued to brush her hair and slowly her shoulders relaxed and the dark aura began to disappear. Letting out a long breath, she tried to apologize, "S-so-r-ie."

Honey tilted his head closer, "What was that?" Kamalei turned to look at him. He encouraged her with a smile, scooting closer.

"Sorry, Mitsukuni." She sounded so small, it pained him. He leaned his head against hers.

"You don't need to be," he replied in earnest. He was a bit confused, what did she need to apologize for?

Kamalei leaned into his forehead with her own, "Yes, I do. I was angry because you told them where we were, because you didn't stop them. The thought that I couldn't trust you actually crossed my mind. I'm just overtired and my demon wouldn't go away. You didn't deserve what I almost said and I shouldn't have called you Honey. I'm sorry, Mitsukuni, so, so very sorry." She clutched him in a hug, squishing Usa-chan between them.

Honey understood, he has a demon of his own after all. He returned her embrace. "It's okay," he implored. They sat back against the wall, "You're a lot better at controlling your demon than I am. Sorry, I got caught up with the festival."

Kamalei shook her head negatively, "It's alright, you were just being yourself. I'd have you no other way." She smiled to emphasize her feelings. Honey grinned back in his cutesy manner.

"Come on, Kama-chan. Let's go sit with the others." He held out his hand. She took it and they exited the bedroom.

Haruhi, Kyouya, and Mori looked up when Honey and Kamalei came into the living area. Kyouya and Mori had tensed slightly at the opening of the door, but relaxed when they saw the dark aura around Kamalei was gone. Haruhi poured Kamalei and Honey some tea and snuggled back into her spot.

"Thanks, Haru-chan!" Honey said as he led Kamalei to the couch. She sat next to Mori leaving just enough room for Honey, if they all snuggled close. And in his opinion, with how tired the girls looked, it was time to snuggle!

"Actually, I didn't make the tea. Kyouya did." Haruhi told him as he wiggled into his spot. Honey sent an appreciative smile to Kyouya.

"It's a special blend. You two should be feeling more energetic in no time." Kyouya explained with a nod. Within an instant, Mori took Honey's tea cup away.

"Aw! Why, Takashi?" Honey whined, reaching for his cup.

"No," Mori replied simply. Honey crossed his arms and pouted.

Kamalei hid her grin with her cup. She understood what Mori was doing. They didn't need a Honey with extra 'pick me up.' When he puffed his cheeks out in his pout, she couldn't help herself. She gently poked his cheek, making him blow the air out. Honey pushed out his lower lip in response and Kamalei giggled.

"Kama-chan! He took my tea!" he whined again. She shook her head and stifled her giggling.

"How about some warm honey milk, instead?" Kamalei offered. Honey's pout was replaced with a large smile. He nodded vigorously. "Mitsukuni, tell me about the festival?" she asked on her way to the kitchen. Honey's eyes lit up.

"It's going to be great! There will be lots of yummy food, and games, and fireworks!" Honey stated in his excitement. Kamalei returned and gave him his own teapot of honey milk, which he took gratefully.

Kyouya glanced to the entrance way and sighed, "I'm not sure we'll be leaving for our destination anytime soon, by the looks of those three." Tamaki and the twins were still huddled together, too fearful to move.

Haruhi shook her head in exasperation, "They've usually bounced back by now."

"Well, you two were more intense than usual." Kyouya commented, Mori and Honey sounded their agreement.

Haruhi thought for a moment, _How to get them up…hmmm…_Her eyes lit up and her fist landed in her palm. She caught Kamalei's eyes, telling her to go along with it. "Come on, let's go get ready."

"Oh, okay. What ever shall we wear?" Kamalei asked playing along. Honey caught on to what they were doing and added the nail in the coffin.

"I'll help you pick something out!" he announced cutely.

"Oh no, you won't!" the twins yelled as they barreled into the living area, dragging Tamaki behind them. They promptly dropped Tamaki and grabbed the girls. "We brought," Hikaru started. "Some things for you." Kaoru finished, each of them thrusting a bag into the girls' arms. Haruhi and Kamalei snickered quietly as they left the boys to go change.

The girls were unsurprised to find traditional kimonos. However, they were in awe of how beautiful they were. Each kimono suited its wearer to a 'T.' They tied each others' obis and stood in front of the mirror. Haruhi's kimono was pink in a gradient from top to bottom with lime green butterflies around the neck and down the front. The sky blue obi finished the look, making her the radiant picture of spring. Kamalei's kimono was midnight blue with pastel blue waves and white stars around the neck and down the front. The indigo obi completed the theme, giving her the magnificent air of the ocean at night. They stared into the mirror unable to utter a sound.

"Haruhi, Kamalei, are you two dressed yet?" Hikaru asked through the door impatiently. "We need to do your hair and make-up," Kaoru added in a more patient tone.

Haruhi and Kamalei broke from their trance with their eyebrows raised in surprise. "Hair and make-up?" Haruhi tried to whisper to Kamalei, but was overheard.

"Of course, we have to do your hair and make-up. The look would be unfinished!" Hikaru stated as if it were obvious.

Kamalei opened the door and quietly said, "But these are so lovely, you've done more than enough."

The boys took in their beauty and were struck silent. Even Hikaru and Kaoru, who had designed the kimonos especially for the girls, couldn't say a word. Haruhi and Kamalei were stunning.

"My darling daughters, you look beautiful!" Tamaki broke the silence as he lunged for them. The twins caught him and threw him to the couch.

"No glomping! You'll mess it up!" the twins scolded. Tamaki flew to a corner in woe, muttering about mean doppelgangers.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, exquisite work." Kyouya complemented.

"Yeah! Haru-chan and Kama-chan look really cute!" Honey said while bouncing in his seat. Mori nodded in agreement. Hikaru and Kaoru took a bow.

"Thank you, thank you, but we're not finished yet!" the twins said as they helped the girls sit, so they could do their hair and make-up.

Haruhi and Kamalei did as asked and sat while the twins pulled, twisted, and pinned their hair, and extensions, into intricate styles. The process took two and a half hours, one hour for extensions, one hour to style, and thirty minutes for make-up. The others had taken to playing rich man, poor man with the girls, so they would be entertained. Haruhi and Kamalei were ready to go. The tea Kyouya made had given them an abundance of energy. They started to twitch, needing to move.

"Done!" the twins chimed. They helped the girls stand and gave them each a hand mirror. Haruhi and Kamalei examined their hair and make-up. The make-up was light and natural with accents at their eyes and lips. Their hair was in an up do with a hair comb placed to the side of the bulk of a twist. Haruhi's comb was a dark pink hibiscus with diamond accents and Kamalei's comb was a water lily with pearl accents. Smiles appeared on the girls faces.

"We love it," they said in unison. They hugged the slightly blushing twins in thanks.

"Well… that's awesome, because you look awesome. I mean, they are Hitachiin originals. Why wouldn't you look awesome?" Hikaru said slightly fumbling his words.

"You made these?" Haruhi asked looking at Hikaru in wonder. Kamalei looked to Kaoru with the same question. The twins nodded.

Kaoru tried to control his blush as he answered, "We made them with you in mind, we're glad you like them."

It was the girls turn to blush. _Is this how they see us?_ They looked to each other and back to the twins. "Thank you." The twins smiled.

Tamaki grabbed the girls' hands gaining their attention. "You look great! Beautiful! Marvelous! Let's go!" He proceeded to pull the girls out of the apartment and to the limousine.

"Wait up!" the twins protested as they gave chase. Honey, Kyouya, and Mori followed with Kyouya locking the door behind them.

The festival booths lined the street and ended at the boardwalk by the Tokyo Bay. The colors were vibrant and the music played a fun rhythm. Honey shot off for the food booths, followed by Mori and Kamalei. Tamaki and the twins ran to the game booths, competing wherever they could. Kyouya and Haruhi took in the sights while keeping track of everyone.

The hours past and the host club members were enjoying themselves. Haruhi and Kamalei had pulled themselves aside to take in the group. They were acting like kids at a candy shop. The girls giggled and walked towards the boardwalk. The fireworks would start in about an hour and they wanted to scope out a good spot for their friends.

The crowd broke in two to go around the stage. A smaller crowd was dancing to the music as the band played. Haruhi and Kamalei stopped to listen a moment and found themselves being dragged into the dancing crowd by a couple of girls also in traditional kimonos.

"Dance, dance!" the one pulling Haruhi urged with a smile.

"Yes, pretty girls like yourselves should be dancing!" the one pulling Kamalei added. After placing the girls in the center of the crowd they left. The girls had been wearing the same kimonos as the festival greeters. _They must work here._ Haruhi and Kamalei shrugged at each other and began to dance to the beat of the music.

The boys met up and noticed the girls had gone ahead. They headed to the boardwalk, scanning the crowd. When the crowd split, the boys paused not knowing which way to go.

"I suggest we split up." Kyouya stated gesturing to the split path and the dancing crowd. The others nodded. The twins headed to the crowd around the stage. Kyouya and Tamaki went left as Mori and Honey went right.

Hikaru and Kaoru searched thinking they were probably in the wrong spot. Haruhi had had enough trouble trying to learn to waltz, they doubted she danced. As they found the center of the crowd, they stopped dead in their tracks. There were Haruhi and Kamalei, swaying their bodies to the rhythm and rocking their hips to the beat. The twins' mouths dropped in shock. The girls were not just dancing; they were really good at it. Picking up each others' jaws, they texted the others. Glancing at one another, they smirked and joined the girls.

Hikaru danced to match Haruhi and caught her shoulder to turn her around. Haruhi jumped and swung around. When she saw it was Hikaru, she smacked his arm for scaring her. He chuckled at her antics. She shook her head and began to dance with him, focusing her moments to match his. Hikaru was impressed.

"How is it you can dance this well, yet had so much trouble learning to waltz?" Hikaru asked with a teasing smirk. Haruhi blushed, but shrugged.

"Don't know, maybe because I don't have a partner?" Haruhi thought out loud.

Hikaru raised his brow at that. They were dancing as partners, couldn't she see that. He decided to test if maybe she meant partners that touched. He grabbed her hand and waist leading her to the rhythm, she followed perfectly. _Nope, maybe leading? _Hikaru pulled her in and instructed her, "Lead me." Haruhi gave him a questioning look, but did it anyway. She nudged him in the direction she wanted to go, leading him without missing a beat. Her dancing was smooth, jagged, free, and absolutely effortless. Then it hit him, _It's because there are no set steps! She can move however she wants!_ He shook his head, smirked, and took the lead back. Haruhi smirked back at him and would take over at random to do what she wanted before going back to following him. Hikaru really enjoyed dancing with her.

Kaoru approached Kamalei and slid in her line of vision, so he didn't startle her. She smiled at him and pulled him toward her. He matched her rhythm and watched her move. Kamalei rocked her hip into his hand and swayed her body with his. He took her hand to throw her out and twirl her into him. Their eyes locked and everything, but the music, faded away. She melded into him, matching him perfectly. Kaoru traced her from hip to waist causing her to shiver. He turned her to face him. Her hands slid from his shoulders to his hands making his skin tingle. Intertwining their fingers, she pulled out and came back. He spun her and traced the back of her neck and shoulders. Kamalei shivered again and Kaoru pulled her close. They pressed their bodies closer, feeling a burning sensation begin to engulf them.

"There they are!" Tamaki called. Kamalei and Kaoru broke eye contact and distanced themselves, but continued to dance as the others convened around them.

"Wow! Haru-chan and Kama-chan are good dancers!" Honey said. He flipped off of Mori's shoulders and grabbed Kamalei's hand. "My turn!" He swung her in circles and she giggled.

"Hikaru, stop hogging Haruhi!" Tamaki yelled before he cut in. Haruhi rolled her eyes and let him lead her away from Hikaru. Kyouya and Mori joined in and after the girls danced with each of the boys, they headed to the boardwalk.

They found a spot by the wall looking over the river. It would have an unobstructed view of the fireworks. They all leaned on the wall waiting for the show to start. Tamaki, Honey, and the twins could hardly contain their excitement. Soon the fireworks started and the bright sparks burst through the air creating beautiful patterns. Everyone blocked out their surroundings as they watched.

Kamalei found herself pulling away from the group, lost in thought. Remembering how her heart raced while she danced with Kaoru. _What was that? _She had never felt that way before and honestly, she wouldn't mind feeling it again. She stared at the falling sparks as she sorted her thoughts.

Kaoru stood by his brother and watched the fireworks in all their beauty. About half way through the show, he looked to see his brother and friends' reactions. He smiled looking down the line, but stopped. _Where's Kamalei?_ He looked around trying to spot her. His heart raced when he couldn't find her, but calmed when he finally caught sight of her hair comb through the crowd. She had moved quite a bit away from the group. He went to get her and paused. She looked ethereal in the bursting lights of the fireworks as she watched them fall. His breath stilled, _Gorgeous._ The fireworks continued and Kaoru stayed still, wanting to reach for girl he couldn't take his eyes off of.

The fireworks ended and the crowd jumbled with those staying and going. Hikaru pushed himself off of the wall and stretched.

"That was great, huh Kaoru?" he asked his brother. When he didn't get an immediate answer, he looked to where Kaoru had been. No Kaoru. "Kaoru?" He looked frantically through the crowd, whipping his head left and right. "Kaoru?!" he yelled hoping his brother would make himself known. Nothing. Hikaru freaked out, continuing his search, trying not to hyperventilate. He saw red spiky hair and ran towards it. When he was close enough to decipher features, he felt relief rush through him. He clutched his brother's shoulder, "Kaoru!"

Kaoru spun around, snapping out of his trance. "Hikaru?"

"You scared the life out of me!" Hikaru said as he brought Kaoru into a bone crushing hug. Kaoru could see his twin's panic. He felt terrible; he returned the hug and glanced at Kamalei with longing over Hikaru's shoulder. He pushed the feeling away, so he could comfort his brother.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru." Kaoru apologized. Steadily, the twins felt eyes on them. Looking out of the corners of the eyes, they saw the girls in the crowd staring at them with the flames of moe in their eyes. Resisting the urge to roll their eyes they slipped into their 'brotherly love' act. Kaoru looked into Hikaru's eyes and began to tear up. "I'm so sorry, Hikaru! I'll never leave your side again!"

Hikaru stood straighter to appear taller and placed his fingers under Kaoru's chin, tilting it just so. "I forgive you, Kaoru!" They pulled just close enough; the girls around them exploded in screams and coos.

After finding Kamalei, the other hosts didn't have to look far for the twins. They were surrounded by screaming females. Haruhi rolled her eyes and Kamalei couldn't help but giggle, which in turn caused Haruhi to giggle. Their giggle fit brought the twins' attention to their direction. Hikaru and Kaoru were met by the stares of their club mates.

"Ahem," Kyouya cleared his throat. "Are you two quite finished?" The twins broke apart and raised their hands in a shrug.

"We have to please our fans." the twins said with no other explanation. Kyouya pushed his glasses up and felt the need for his notebook; he left it in the limousine.

"Fine, but try to keep it for the **paying** fans," Kyouya stated and gazed over to the girls. They were still giggling.

"You just can't help yourselves, can you?" Haruhi asked, already knowing the answer. Kamalei shook her head at them and grinned.

"Let's go, you goobers!" Kamalei said as she and Haruhi walked off together. A bell started to ring in the distance, the girls turned around beaming.

"Happy New Year!" they called to the boys and pulled poppers on them. The boys stood in a stupor, covered in streamers. Haruhi and Kamalei ran for it.

"Hey!" the twins, Tamaki, and Honey called running after them, laughing. Kyouya and Mori took up the rear, both with a smile.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Love the guesses and feedback! Sorry, about the wait on this chapter. It's been busy over here. It's a long one though! Enjoy! n.n **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor do I make money from this fan fiction or any artwork I make in association with it.**

* * *

The Ichinose apartment emanated the aroma of chocolate. Haruhi and Kamalei have been melting, mixing, and baking since they got home from school. The next day was Valentine's Day and at the moment, the girls were wishing it had fallen on the weekend. The customers of the Host Club had been more, to put it nicely, overzealous with their affections this week. They were becoming bolder by the day and, honestly, Haruhi and Kamalei wanted to flee until the madness was over. Their male counterparts assured them, having experienced this the previous year, that the princesses only wished to stand out and it was harmless. It was as if there was an unspoken truce between the girls that coveted the hosts; there were no fights or negative energy. That did not change the fact, all of the extra attention made the secret females feel just plain awkward, nervous, jumpy, and a bit guilty. They are girls, being actively hit on and pursued by girls under the impression they are boys. It was enough to make anyone want to take up residence under a rock.

Kamalei held her breath as she ground dried shishito peppers for the last chocolates they were making. She hoped Kaoru liked it. _Wait, what? I hope Hikaru __**and**__ Kaoru, __**both**__, like it._ She knocked herself on the forehead with the pestle, hoping to knock some sense into herself. As the fine chili powder clouded around her eyes and nose, she regretted her action. Kamalei's eyes watered and her sinuses burned. "Idiot!" she chastised herself, covering her mouth with her elbow, as she coughed and sneezed her way to the sink.

Haruhi paused her stirring, raising an eyebrow at Kamalei, "What happened?"

"Got lost in my thoughts," Kamalei answered, finally clearing her nose. Haruhi watched her curiously. Not much could distract Kamalei from cooking.

"Want to talk about it?" Haruhi offered, Kamalei shook her head in the negative. "I'm here if you change your mind." She smiled, turning back to the melting dark chocolate.

Kamalei stood silent for a moment. She wanted to talk, but she wasn't sure what she was feeling in the first place. Opting to finish their task, she grabbed the ground peppers and carefully added them to the chocolate Haruhi was stirring.

With the peppers mixed into the chocolate, all that was left was to let it set in the molds. But, how did it taste? The girls looked from the bowl to each other nervously. Haruhi and Kamalei each held a spoon and dipped out some of the chili infused confection. Steeling their nerve, they popped the spoons in their mouths. Moving the chocolate across their palates, they were pleasantly surprised. It was good; the warmth was there, but not bad…at first. Slowly, the heat overtook. The girls weren't strangers to spice, but both preferred mild when given the choice. The heat built and built, until both girls dashed for water.

Noriko walked in to check on them, as it was getting late. She chortled at the sight before her. Haruhi and Kamalei with eyes watering, gulping water. "Darlings, I believe what you need is milk." She suggested in a loving, teasing tone.

Haruhi threw the refrigerator door open and Kamalei tore the carton from the shelf. They each poured a glass, guzzled it down, and sagged against the counter; feeling immense relief once the milk soothed their ailing mouths.

"Too spicy for the twins?" Noriko asked curiously.

"No, they seem to enjoy this kind of thing." Haruhi answered.

"The hotter the better," Kamalei added in agreement.

Noriko shook her head with a smile, _Those boys…_ Kamalei poured the chocolate into the molds and Haruhi placed them in the freezer with the others. The girls noticed the time and glanced at the mess in the kitchen. Noriko held in her laugh at their faces, they were past ready for bed. "Get to bed you two, I'll clean up. You have a long day tomorrow." The girls paled at the thought, making her snicker. "Off with you now, we must have you looking your best for your admirers." She said, shooing them out of the kitchen.

_Kamalei sat on the beach watching the sun set. It was absolutely beautiful. She was in her favorite place. Sighing happily, she wiggled her toes in the sand. The crashing waves lulling her to peaceful bliss. A familiar chuckle startled her. She whipped her head to the side seeing Kaoru sitting next to her. When did that happen? She was alone a second ago, wasn't she? Shaking off her confusion, she knocked her shoulder into his for making her jump._

"_It's not my fault you were off in la-la land," he laughed out. _

"_And who said it wasn't?" Kamalei shot back, narrowing her eyes in mock anger. Kaoru laughed more at this. She decided to turn back to watch the sun as it disappeared behind the ocean on the horizon. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. She felt warm and happy; she couldn't place the warmth, but she liked it. _

"_Breath taking," she commented. Kaoru's hand slid on top of hers, sending a delectable tingle through her arm to the pit of her stomach. Turning to look at him, she smiled._

"_Not as breath taking, as you." He said softly, gazing into her eyes. He leaned toward her, his amber eyes blazing with something she hadn't seen before. Kamalei mirrored him and met him half way. As the distance between them dwindled to mere centimeters, her eyes fluttered closed. Their lips brushed lightly before sealing together. She felt the tingle burst into flames. Everything was perfect; her favorite place, with her favorite person. _

Waking with a start, Kamalei panted to catch her breath. _What the hell was that?!_ She sat up and cradled her head in her hand, feeling a lingering tingle in her stomach from the dream. Peeking at the clock, she groaned. It read, four thirty. She got up and turned off the alarm that would've gone off at five. There was no way she was going back to sleep after that. _May as well get an early start._ Kamalei padded silently to the shower. Closing her eyes she let the water run over her body. The last scene of her dream ghosted her memory. _Those eyes… _Unconsciously, her fingers traced her engulfed her body as she realized what she was feeling. _Oh, God… I- I love, I love... _"Kaoru," she whispered. Eyes wide, her head met tile; she leaned into the wall and turned the water to cold.

An hour later, Kamalei and Haruhi boxed their friends' chocolates while Noriko made breakfast. They bobbed their heads and shook their hips to the music that was playing. Kamalei did her best to act normally, but Haruhi and Noriko were watching her carefully. Her movement had been almost robotic when they found her in the kitchen earlier. It wasn't until Noriko turned the music on and Haruhi gave her the truffles she made for her that she began to move more fluidly. Haruhi loved the strawberries that Kamalei had cut to look like roses and dipped in chocolate, but the lack of conversation was awkward. Haruhi found herself thankful when knocking echoed from the door.

"That's Tachibana-san, I'll get it." Haruhi said, shuffling to answer the door. She smiled, greeting Kyouya's head body guard. "Good morning, Tachibana-san. I hope it wasn't any trouble coming so early."

Tachibana's mouth twitched upward slightly. He was honored Haruhi and Kamalei had asked him to deliver their gifts. The change in his young master since being around the two was good, so helping the girls surprise their friends would be a small token of his gratitude. He quite liked the little females, as well. "On the contrary, Fujioka-sama, being that it is early, Master Kyouya is still resting." He replied. Why they thought this would trouble him, was beyond his comprehension.

"Please, Haruhi is fine. You know that." She reminded him for the umpteenth time. He nodded in acknowledgement, but she knew, more than likely, pigs would fly before Tachibana ever considered calling her by her given name. "Everyone else accepted?" she inquired, speaking of the other hosts' drivers.

"Affirmative," Tachibana nodded again. "They wouldn't pass up the chance to make their masters smile any more than I. Even if they had denied your request, I have my ways." He ended cryptically.

Haruhi resisted rolling her eyes, _Special Forces and their need to come off all mysterious._ "Come in, we have everything ready to go. Do you have time for tea?"

"No, I'm afraid in order to keep this from the young masters, I must be brief." Tachibana declined politely. Haruhi nodded in understanding, leading him to the kitchen. Kamalei had just finished placing the parcels in a bag.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Tachibana-san." Kamalei said, smiling as she handed the bag to him.

"It's my pleasure, Ichinose-sama." He replied taking the bag. Bowing slightly, he took his leave.

Noriko silently applauded her girls' ingenuity. They had expressed to her their want to be discreet. One, because of the Host Club's customers and two, because they knew the boys wouldn't expect them sneaking the chocolates into their homes. She placed the breakfast plates on the table and called Haruhi and Kamalei to eat.

After sitting with no conversation again, Noriko decided to make sure they were ready for today. "So, what's the game plan?"

"Get to class as fast as possible and try not to make eye contact." Haruhi replied verbatim. Noriko nodded.

"What about lunch?" she asked further.

"Sneak away and hide in a broom closet." Kamalei said quietly.

"And if one of them gets you alone?" Noriko asked her final question. She wanted to make sure they had thought everything through. The last thing they wanted to do was break some poor girl's heart. Haruhi and Kamalei visibly swallowed.

"Hopefully, that won't happen. We plan to stay together and stick to the twins like glue." Haruhi answered, looking a bit nervous.

Noriko noticed at the mention of the twins, Kamalei blushed a little. _Uh huh…_

"But, if it does happen. We plan to use our host personas and let them down gently." Kamalei continued for Haruhi, guilt showing in her eyes. Noriko caught the hidden meaning in those words. She rolled her eyes imagining the Souh boy teaching them how to 'let them down' by leading them on in the mannerisms of a host.

Kamalei took their plates to the sink, while Haruhi grabbed their bags. Both hugged Noriko on their way out and handed her a box tied with red ribbon. "Bye, Mom/Auntie! Happy Valentine's Day!" they called together before shutting the door. Noriko giggled, opened the box, and popped a marbled chocolate heart in her mouth.

Haruhi studied Kamalei while riding the train. Much to her surprise, Kamalei didn't even notice. She was beginning to worry. When the train stopped Kamalei grabbed Haruhi's hand before walking toward Ouran Academy. Haruhi glanced between their clasped hands and Kamalei's profile. _Lei-chan…_ Even as they walked through the gates, Kamalei didn't let go. Observing the students around them, Haruhi was glad to see their admirers weren't present for the time being. They were probably staking out the club room and the hosts' class rooms. _That's one bullet dodged, for now._ None of the other students cared to notice, although their walking so closely wasn't strange. Two boys, hosts at that, holding hands were bound to attract attention. Not that she cared, let them think what they want. But, their customers might take it the wrong way, leading to rumors of the possibility of a new 'homosexual' act for the Host Club.

The girls b-lined for their classroom. There their princesses were, waiting at the door. Kamalei flinched when they screamed and cooed over the fact she was holding Haruhi's hand. She felt a reassuring squeeze from Haruhi, Kamalei returned the favor. Taking a deep breath, they made their way through the sea of girls; chocolates being shoved into their arms as they passed.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" each of the girls said in turn. Haruhi and Kamalei thanked all of them and smiled politely. Haruhi had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at some of the whispers.

"Are they a couple?"

*Gasp* "It's forbidden love!"

"Awe! Kamalei is so shy; it's very kind of Haruhi to support him like that."

"I know, right? They are so close, it's adorable!"

By the time they made it inside their class room, they were holding so many chocolates they couldn't see.

"Well, this is a predicament." Haruhi commented, thinking of where to put them all.

"Here, let us help with that." Two familiar voices offered. They each felt their loads lighten as the twins scooped their chocolates into two bags. Once the girls could see again, they were greeted by the twins' trademark grins.

"We knew you two didn't believe us when we told you about the amount," Hikaru started. "So we brought extra bags for you," Kaoru finished.

"Th-thanks," Kamalei barely squeaked out, gripping Haruhi's hand for all she was worth. It took everything in her, for Haruhi not to gasp in pain.

"Yeah, thanks guys." Haruhi managed with a smile. She hoped they didn't catch the wince she almost let out.

"No problem," Hikaru replied, not yet noticing that they were holding hands.

Kaoru however, noticed a few things. First being, Kamalei's squeaky stutter. Next, was the death grip she had on Haruhi's hand. Lastly, was the pain that flashed in Haruhi's eyes. _She couldn't really be that nervous about today, could she? I know she is the 'shy' host, but she's not acting._ He caught Haruhi's eyes and gave the silent question by taking a pointed stare at their hands. Haruhi shook her head and shrugged. He wanted to glare at her, _What do you mean, you don't know?! _Haruhi always knows when it comes to Kamalei, just like he always knows when comes to Hikaru. "I'll take this to your desk for you," he told Kamalei, referring to the large bag of chocolates. She nodded and looked down quickly, _Whoa! Is she blushing?!_ The thought of what that could mean made Kaoru fight his own blush. _She couldn't…Could she?_ If she did, he would be on cloud nine. He was brought out of his thoughts when Hikaru spoke.

"You gonna sit down, Haruhi?" Hikaru questioned curiously. Haruhi always studies before class.

"Just a sec, Hikaru." Haruhi quickly looked over her shoulder to reply, but pulled her attention back to Kamalei just as fast.

That's when Hikaru noticed that she couldn't sit down, not with the grip Kamalei had on her hand. He looked to Kaoru for answers and was given a silent 'don't know.' He watched as Haruhi whispered to Kamalei in an attempt to comfort, he assumed. After a few minutes, Kamalei let go and Haruhi sat down. Hikaru caught Haruhi in a stare, looking questioningly from Kamalei to her. She shrugged and told him with her eyes that she was just as lost as he was. _What the hell?_ He was confused, but it passed quickly when he saw how red her hand was. His eyes widened, _Fuck! She needs ice!_ He went to get up, but she stopped him with pleading eyes. He huffed, conceding and settled back into his desk. Haruhi sent him a thankful smile. Giving her a stern look he mouthed, 'you, ice, lunch.' Hikaru's eyes didn't soften until she nodded her agreement.

Class started and the four bunkered down into note taking. Hikaru and Kaoru inserted their usual antics whenever there was a lull. Haruhi watched Kamalei in her peripheral vision. She noted that every time Kaoru spoke to Kamalei, Kamalei blushed lightly. She would struggle not to stutter when she replied, as well. _Interesting._ Haruhi had a sneaking suspicion of what this was about. Unsure with her conclusion, because it would be a first, she resolved to pull Kamalei aside during lunch. The bell chimed and Haruhi tapped Kamalei's shoulder to motion for her to leave with her.

Kamalei looked to Haruhi and saw her head motion toward the door, but her hand captured Kamalei's now widening eyes. Haruhi's hand was red and slightly swollen, as if it had been crushed in a vice. "Hi-chan! Why didn't you say something?!" she exclaimed in a whisper yell. Grabbing Haruhi's good hand, she proceeded to drag her to the infirmary.

"Huh?" Haruhi questioned, nearly tripping over her own feet to keep up.

Hikaru and Kaoru tried to follow, but were seized by their admirers. Falling into their act in order to sate them, the brothers clung to each other in hopes of soon slipping away. Despite their usual tactics the girls were being resilient today. _Damn Valentine's Day and its ability to give higher expectations,_ they both thought. Their eyes locked, the twins communicated silently. They would have to take drastic measures. Making their eyes appear lustful, they leaned closer to one another. Their noses touched and the Valentine crazed girls' gazes zoomed in on their mouths. _Seriously?! _Centimeter by centimeter they grew closer. _We're really going to have to do this?!_ Cringing on the inside, the brothers closed their eyes and readied themselves to close the hairs breath between their lips. Screaming and a domino of thudding halted their movement, silence took its place. Cracking their eyes open, the twins breathed sighs of relief and pulled apart. Laughter over came them as the few remaining males in the room gawked at them in disbelief. Grabbing Haruhi and Kamalei's forgotten lunches, Hikaru and Kaoru shared a look. That was the closest they had ever come to kissing; they were so grateful they didn't have to go through with it. As much as their customers would love for their act to be real; it was just that, an act. Snickering at the idiots they left in the classroom, they made their way to the infirmary.

The nurse wasn't in, so Kamalei filled a bag with ice and rested it on Haruhi's hand. She gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Hi-chan. My emotions have been running on high all day."

"I noticed," Haruhi gave a mock scoff, then softened her gaze. "It's alright, Lei-chan." She gave her a smile and decided now was as good a time as ever. "So about those emotions," she paused noting Kamalei was now avoiding her gaze. "You don't have to tell me, but I've noticed a few things and was wondering… Do you have a crush on Kaoru?" whispering the last part, she waited.

Minutes past before Kamalei finally answered, "Yes." Her face went crimson at her confession. "I," she took a deep breath in and out. "I don't know what I want to do about it yet, if I want to do anything at all. I just realized what I've been feeling this morning."

Haruhi nodded in understanding. "If you don't want him to know, you need to stop blushing every time he speaks to you. You know, act normal." She put bluntly. Kamalei nodded quickly, knowing she was right.

"I'm trying. It's getting easier, but I can't look him in the eye without my dream flashing through my head!" Kamalei huffed and Haruhi laughed.

"A dream, huh? No wonder you flushed so prettily, it must have been a steamy one." Haruhi teased. Kamalei's face burned as Haruhi snickered.

"What was steamy?" Hikaru asked as Kaoru and he walked in. Kamalei buried her face in her hands in sheer mortification. Haruhi spoke up and attempted to save the day.

"The shower," she replied nonchalantly. "The water was so hot, she scolded her cheeks." Haruhi gave herself a mental head slap; that was not believable. At. All.

Kamalei wanted to groan. _Really? That's what she came up with?_

The twins blinked, glancing at each other through the corners of their eyes skeptically. _Riiight…_ Shrugging, they went with it. Snickering like they bought it, they each slung an arm around a girl; Kaoru around Kamalei and Hikaru around Haruhi. "You should take better care of your skin, Kamalei," they pretended to chide.

Kamalei had unburied her face and rolled her eyes at the reprimand. All the while, fighting another blush and mentally chanting, _Act normal, act normal, act normal…_

"You know what, Kaoru? I'm starved." Hikaru said, changing the subject. Kaoru grinned at his brother, "Then let's go eat, Hikaru. Oh! But, we don't have enough time." Hikaru caught on and returned the grin, "Oh no, what do we do brother?"

Haruhi and Kamalei shared a look. They knew what the twins were doing. Kamalei was glad they dropped the previous subject and the fact they were being their usual devious selves. It made it much easier to control her fluster, so she pretended to play into their ploy. "Oh, Haruhi, that's just terrible. We have to share with them!"

Haruhi held in a laugh. If only they knew that had been the plan all along. Kamalei and she prepared large lunches, knowing the twins would want to avoid the cafeteria today. "I agree. Where do we go, though? I'd like to avoid being bombarded again."

Hikaru and Kaoru, smug with their victory, led the girls out of the infirmary. "We know the perfect place." Strolling down the hall, they avoided their classroom and the common areas. When they arrived at a picnic table just outside of the karate club, Haruhi and Kamalei gave them quizzical looks. This spot isn't exactly hidden.

"Only the karate club comes this way," Hikaru explained. Seeing they were unconvinced, Kaoru elaborated, "No one comes here unless they have to, for fear of Yasuchika."

"Oh…" the girls drawled out. Yasuchika isn't the nicest person, at first. Haruhi and Kamalei considered him a friend; it had taken a few months to wear him down though. Satoshi, and his shinai, was the only person that could make the younger Haninozuka see reason when it came to his older brother and those associated with him. Well, that and the fact he didn't take it too well when Honey had a slip of the tongue, revealing their gender. He didn't make eye contact with them for two weeks. Once everything was explained, forcibly, he grew to understand. He actually makes an effort to talk to them now.

The group sat and opened the lunch boxes. The twins gaped at the amount of food in the girls' lunches. There was no way the small girls across from them could eat all of this. Hikaru tactlessly let that thought out, "You two can't possibly eat this much!" Kaoru elbowed him for his lack of manners. "What?"

Watching as Haruhi and Kamalei divvied out a quarter of the food onto their box lids and slid the bulk of the lunches toward them. Haruhi smiled amused, "That is correct, we don't eat that much. You do."

Realization dawned on the twins, they had been played. The snickering from the girls brought them out of their stupor. Moments like these made the twins feel genuinely happy. Haruhi and Kamalei made them lunch, so they wouldn't have to brave the cafeteria and successfully out maneuvered them on their own game; just for the added fun of it. With big smiles they complemented their friends, "Well done!" Digging in rapturously, Hikaru and Kaoru enjoyed all of the offered food. Once finished, they snuck the girls back to class before the warning bell.

Club time came and thankfully, Kyouya had the foresight to rope off a path for the hosts to get to the music room. Members of the Ootori elite Black Onion Squad kept the waiting customers at bay. Upon entering the room they were met with pink and red hearts hanging from the ceiling, rose pedals littering the floor, and Tamaki enthusiastically pressing dresses into their arms.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my lovely daughters! Go put these on, today you will cosplay as girls who have been struck by cupid," Tamaki gestured to the twins. "And devote your love to me, your adoring father! Because two young ladies, such as yourselves, are much too young to fall in love with any other man!" his eyes sparkled with delight as he went into his mind theater.

The rest of the hosts bore at their supposed king blankly. Surely, he didn't think any of them would go for this. The girls' customers wouldn't take to being ignored, for one. It was Valentine's Day and all of their princesses would want to present the males they coveted with chocolate, for two. Not to mention, getting Haruhi and Kamalei to wear dresses for cosplay was worse than pulling teeth. Kyouya, Honey, and Mori stood to the side, waiting for Tamaki's world to come crashing down. Hikaru and Kaoru stayed beside the girls, ready to help send the idiot to his corner of woe.

Kaoru was the only one who knew Kamalei had flinched at the end of that statement. Had he not felt it, he would've been unaware. He wanted to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but then she would know he knew. The surge of joy he felt at the confirmation of his feelings being returned was short lived. The knowledge that Tamaki's idiotic words could make her doubt her feelings or the possibility of him returning them; upset him greatly. Kaoru's possessive side wanted at him, _Don't fuck with a heart that isn't yours._

Haruhi shoved the dresses back at the tall blonde, "Tamaki, you are not, I repeat, **not **our father." She stated deathly calm. "As for cosplaying as girls, it's Valentine's Day, our customers want us as **males**." She glared at him for the last part, "Too young to fall in love? Really, Tamaki? Aren't love, admiration, and infatuation the basis for the success of this club?!"

Tamaki resembled a kicked puppy. "But, I saw the cupid wings and arrows. You two can't cosplay as cupid, it would be grossly inappropriate." He spoke meekly and added with a blush dusting across his nose, "Your secret would be forfeit."

Kyouya fought a groan, "That is why, if you had looked, we are wearing tuxedoes. Not that any of us, I assure you, would be caught dead in cloth fashioned to look like a diaper."

"Boss is such a pervert," the twins stated. Having had enough, Tamaki escaped to his corner. Hikaru and Kaoru chuckled at his expense, though one more darkly than the other. Releasing the girls' shoulders, they went to drag Tamaki to get ready; teasing him the whole time.

Haruhi and Kamalei helped each other get ready. Standing back to give themselves an once-over, they decided they needed to lose the cummerbund. It accented their waists too much, their hips were obvious. They also had another problem, but they would have to make a call to get what they needed to fix it. Kamalei flipped her phone open and dialed while Haruhi talked to Kyouya.

"Kyouya?" Haruhi called.

"What can I help you with, Haruhi?" Kyouya responded in his usual monotonous tone.

"Could you make sure everyone loses the cummerbunds?"

"Is there a problem?" he inquired, thinking he may need to take new measurements. The others listened as they made last minute primps to themselves.

"We better just show him," Kamalei commented as she shut her phone. The male hosts turned hearing the curtain open.

The thing about tuxedoes is when they are fitted correctly; they feature the sharp lines of the male body in an ascetically pleasing manner. When the perfectly measured tuxedo is placed on the rounded curves of the female body, however; it displays their femininity for all to appreciate. Specifically, in three areas: the chest, the waist, and the hips.

The twins' mouths dropped. Haruhi and Kamalei looked great, the tuxedoes fit them perfectly, but that was the problem.

The boys took in the sight before them and immediately removed their cummerbunds. The girls did the same; without the cummerbunds, the slight looseness of the bottom of the shirt hid their hips and waists better. Leave the jacket open, and those particular problems became nearly impossible to detect. Their lower half wasn't the only problem though. The girls had been growing, unbeknownst to their friends. Their uniforms, purposely, weren't very fitted; and their casual clothes were on the loose side. So, now that they were wearing shirts that fit their measurements; the fact the girls have breasts is undeniable.

Kyouya cursed under his breath, tuxedoes would never grace the club room again. Well, not unless the Hitachiin twins provided and fitted them. At least, hiding their gender wouldn't be a necessity much longer. According to his calculations, with the rate at which the customers were requesting the girls, they'd be debt free just before the Ouran Fair. But, he knew they enjoy their time at the club and they fear their school mates' reactions when they reveal themselves. The time of their unveiling would be their choice; he would make sure of that. Although, if certain assets of theirs' pronounced themselves any more, it would become difficult.

"Umm…that doesn't quite fix it," Honey pointed out hesitantly. Haruhi and Kamalei didn't have to ask what he was talking about. Unfortunately, their sports bras weren't enough to suppress their more rounded chests from showing in these shirts. They had already called Satoshi to ask him to bring up some bandages, but their most dramatic friend started raving before they could say anything.

Tamaki had been openly gawking, frozen in his spot with his cummerbund hanging loosely from his hand. Upon Honey's observation, he lost it. "What are we going to do?! Our secret princesses won't be a secret anymore! They won't be able to host anymore! We won't be able to see them every day! Why?! Why?! Why did this have to happen?! Why couldn't they just stay small, cute, and androgynous?! Why do they have to grow into curvy, beautiful women?!" He was in hysterics when Mori came behind him and pressed a pressure point, sending him to the floor unconscious.

Kyouya rubbed his temples in an attempt to dissuade his oncoming headache. "Now that he's out of the way, we do need to do something to remedy the situation."

One of the large doors opened and closed quickly, drawing the hosts' attention. Leaning heavily on the doors, as if to barricade them, were Satoshi and Yasuchika. Yasuchika was the first to look up. When he saw Honey standing with Usa-chan tucked under his arm, he took a battle stance.

"Hi, Chika-chan!" Honey called sweetly, not bothering to take a stance.

"Mitsuku-Ow!" Yasuchika yelped, rubbing his head.

"Now is not the time," Satoshi stated with authority, tapping his shinai on his shoulder. He smiled brightly as he turned his attention to the others, "They're fired up out there."

Yasuchika scoffed, crossing his arms and mumbled, "That's an understatement." He searched for the people they were here for. His eyes nearly bulged out when he found them. "I uh, yeah," he stumbled with his words, making his way to them while pulling something out of his pocket.

"Whoa, I can see why you need these." Satoshi snickered crossing the room to hand Haruhi a large wrap bandage.

"So, yeah, don't do it too tight or you'll pass out." Yasuchika instructed, shooting a glare at his teasing friend.

Kamalei took the bandage from Yasuchika, nodding in understanding. "Thanks, you guys are life savers," she said gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Haruhi smiled. Satoshi grinned and the corner of Yasuchika's mouth twitched into a small smile.

"No problem! It was no trouble at all," Satoshi said with satisfaction.

Yasuchika blanched, "What do you call that mob of banshees?" He gestured at the door with his thumb.

"Yasuchika!" Satoshi berated as he knocked him on the head again.

"Ouch! What?!" Yasuchika seethed. The twins chuckled while Honey, Kyouya, Mori, and the girls shook their heads. Haruhi and Kamalei reentered the dressing area to adjust themselves.

"You did good," Mori let a smile tug at his lips as he ruffled Satoshi's hair affectionately.

"Thanks, Taka-bro!" Satoshi beamed with pride.

A few moments later, Haruhi and Kamalei walked out ready to host, wings and all. To the boys' relief, the bindings were doing the trick. Tamaki awoke disoriented and cocked a brow when he saw the girls.

"Wait, I thought," he trailed off trying to clear his head. Kyouya didn't give him time to think about it.

"It's time to open the doors, positions everyone." He ordered. The hosts took their welcoming poses, Tamaki scrambling to the center. Satoshi and Yasuchika stood by the doors ready to slip away once they allowed entrance to the eager princesses.

The doors opened, revealing the Host Club as rose pedals showered down. The customers crowded in, not noticing as the middle schoolers shut the doors behind them. "Welcome, happy Valentine's Day princesses!"

The girls took in their hosts. All in fitted tuxedoes with red ties, cufflinks, and kerchiefs. Their miniature angel wings clung to their backs and they each shot off a single heart shaped arrow at the end of their welcome. Squealing broke out as the girls replied, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

The hosts and customers broke off into their groups, rose tea and heart themed snacks were served. In the club room the girls were less pushy and gifted their chocolates gracefully. At the end of their time, each girl was gifted with a red rose by their favorite host as they exited. Haruhi and Kamalei were pleasantly surprised at how smoothly club went, with how their female school mates had acted outside of the room; they thought it would be similarly chaotic. Tamaki closed the doors and the group gave a sigh of relief.

"Much better than last year, your plan worked splendidly." Tamaki complemented Kyouya. He received a nod in acknowledgement in return. The girls quickly changed before cleaning up. The boys changed also, but stuck around until Haruhi and Kamalei were finished.

The Black Onion Squad escorted the club to the line of limousines awaiting their arrival, each hauling a large bag of chocolates. Haruhi and Kamalei declined all offers of a ride home; insisting they really wanted the fresh air on the way. That and they didn't want to delay any of their friends from arriving home. Sensing this, Tachibana took initiative saying he would have the girls chocolates delivered to their apartment. Kyouya was pleased by this and thought nothing of it. His body guard was doing his job perfectly, thinking of what would be asked of him before it was ordered. Things like this are why Tachibana is head of his security squadron. The girls said their goodbyes and walked toward the train station, a secret grin gracing their faces.

Each of the boys arrived home exhausted from the day. Taking to unwinding, they left their bags of chocolate with their servants and headed to their rooms.

Kyouya entered his room to see his drawers in shambles. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he counted to ten. Fuyumi had been practicing her 'wifely skills' again. He saw a note and a box on his coffee table. Assuming it was from his sister, he read the note first.

'Happy Valentine's Day! I wanted to organize your drawers for you, but I'm not very good at it. I will be back with a proper present before dinner! Love, Fuyumi'

He let out an aggravated sigh and picked up the box. He raised his brow when he realized the box was not from his sister, the handwriting of 'Happy Valentine's,' didn't match. The smell of espresso and dark chocolate wafted from the box as he opened the lid. Examining one of the many small chocolate ovals, he popped it in his mouth. His expression melted in contentment as he relished the flavor. _Chocolate covered espresso beans, but who sent them?_ Spotting writing on the inside of the lid, he smiled and scoffed at his thoughtlessness, _Of course._

'Enjoy! Love, Haruhi and Kamalei.'

_But, how did they get it here?_ "Tachibana," he called. His door opened and Tachibana stepped forward.

"Yes, Ootori-sama?" his expression blank.

"Do you have any idea how these came to be on my table?" Kyouya asked with a knowing gleam in his eyes.

Tachibana's mouth twitched into a slight smile before stating coyly, "No idea, sir."

Kyouya smirked at his playful evasion. "I thought not," he said with a grateful nod.

Tamaki bounced gleefully when he noticed the box on his bed. He read 'Happy Valentine's' on the lid before opening it. Inside were chocolate macaroons, his eyes filled with excitement. Eating one quickly, he searched for a clue as to whom it was from. On the inside of the lid, he found his answer. How they got it to him, he didn't know or care. He couldn't believe they remembered his favorite dessert from France. His eyes became teary from wonderful memories. He glanced at the clock and saw they wouldn't be home yet. He would have to wait to call, but he had these delicious macaroons to keep him occupied. Munching on another one he thought, _I have the best friends._

Mori slid his shoji door closed without a sound. Having given all of his chocolates to his parents' staff, he was glad to be rid of the abundance of bitter dark chocolates. Why the customers thought he preferred it, he'd never know. _They never ask. _He brushed away his slight annoyance and took a long cleansing breath, but became alert when he caught a scent not distinctive to his room. On his desk, lay a white box with a red ribbon. Reading the inscription on the corner of the lid, he moved to unfasten it. Catching the inner inscription, he smiled. He picked up one of the pale green bonbons and ate it. Savoring the taste, he rumbled happily. White chocolate and matcha, a combination no one would attribute to him unless they truly knew him. As he stood enjoying the marriage of two of his favorites, he began thinking of something they would like in return.

Honey looked quizzically at the note on his door. 'Go to the dining room,' it told him. He held Usa-chan tightly as he went to the dining room. On the table was a box, he untied the red bow curiously. Upon opening the lid, he jumped for joy. "Yea-hah!" In the box was a small cake doused in ganache. He attacked it with gusto, barely taking the time to appreciate how well the bitterness of the dark chocolate ganache melded with the mildness of the milk chocolate sponge cake and the sweetness of the white chocolate cream filling. After finishing his last bite, he realized he didn't know who it was from. He carefully searched for a name under the crumbs of the mess he made. He really wanted to thank whoever was thoughtful enough to make him a cake instead of chocolate candy. Not that he didn't love that too, he just loved cake more. It surprised him that his admirers never seem to remember that fact on this day. _Too caught up in tradition, I guess._ He shrugged at the thought and continued his search. His eyes lit up when he found what he was looking for. "Enjoy! Love, Haruhi and Kamalei," he read out loud. He joyfully spun in circles, taking Usa-chan with him.

The twin kings of chaos plopped on their shared bed. Hikaru stretched and stared at the ceiling as Kaoru sank face first into the comforter.

"Another hectic Valentine's Day, finally over." Hikaru sighed. Yes, they loved chaos, but only when they were the ones pulling the strings. The princesses had nearly pushed them past a line they really didn't wish to cross in their craziness today. He ran his hand over his face in exasperation.

Kaoru remained silent. Honestly, he could care less about their overzealous customers at the moment. His head was filled with Kamalei; her oceanic eyes, her warm smile, her light giggles, and her flushed cheeks. He had witnesses the latter many times that day. He was a little sad she didn't give him anything for Valentine's Day, but he understood. It would have caused a lot of commotion and she probably thought he wouldn't want anymore with the amount he received. He remembered the overflowing bags; they had broken last year's record. Moving his head to the side he stared at the wall their dresser laid against. He perked up at the sight of two boxes. "Hikaru, what are those?" he asked walking toward the mystery boxes.

Hikaru looked over and shrugged as he got up, "Don't know." He read the tops of the boxes, "More Valentine's chocolates, yay…" he droned. _How the fuck did they get in here?! _He turned sharply to go back to the bed with every intention of calling Kyouya, but Kaoru stopped him.

"You'll want these ones," Kaoru told him regarding the inner inscription with softened eyes.

"What the hell makes these any different? I'm much more concerned that they somehow got them in our room! We may have a big problem!" Hikaru ranted. Kaoru opened the other box and shoved the lid in his face. Quickly reading, his shoulders relaxed. The tension left his body and he could barely voice, "Oh," in his relief. Taking one of the squares out of his box, he chewed slowly to take in its flavor. He tasted something other than dark chocolate, it was familiar. When the heat hit him, his eyes twinkled in his elation. He swallowed and let out a hearty laugh, those two had really thought this through. When Kaoru quirked a brow at him, he smiled. "Try one!" he urged.

Kaoru scrunched his eyebrows in slight confusion, but tried a piece from his own box anyway. He paused at the unknown, but familiar flavor. He waited and when the heat took over, his eyes danced in ecstasy. _They mixed in chilies!_ As he began to laugh, his brother joined him.

"Those little minxes! That's twice they surprised us today!" Hikaru said cheerfully. They both smiled, thinking the day over. Haruhi and Kamalei had definitely made it more bearable. Hikaru sobered when he remembered Kamalei's bashfulness. "I think Kamalei fell for someone," he thought out loud.

Kaoru sent his gaze to study his brother, "Yeah, it seems so."

Hikaru looked thoughtfully at his box. "I wonder who," he trailed off as he placed the box down and wondered toward the shower. Just before the door shut behind him he thought, _I wonder if Haruhi has too…_ I mixture of feelings hit him like a train. Not knowing what to think about his reaction, he pushed it away.

Kaoru watched Hikaru's expression as he closed the door. His eyes widened, _No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening! _He face palmed, _Who am I kidding? We've always liked the same things. What would make girls any different? _His fists tightened. _I won't give Kamalei to Hikaru! _His eyes were sad as he contemplated his brother's feelings. _But, I love Hikaru…What do I do?_ He sat on the edge of the bed with the chocolates next to him as he buried his face in his hands.

Noriko tiredly made her way up the stairs to her apartment. She halted at the sight of a bouquet of white lilies, her hand shakily ventured to grasp it. Swallowing, she read the card. She inhaled sharply, sealing her eyes shut as she took a steadying breath. She rigidly stepped over to Ryoji's apartment and entered with her key.

"Haruhi? You're home early aren't you, dear? I just loved those chocolates you and Kamalei made. Oh! Mitsuzu called thanking you for his as," Ranka emerged from his bedroom stopping his spiel when he saw Noriko and her distressed manner. Leering at the lilies in her quivering hand, he took her in his arms. "Oh, dear..." he tarried. He led her to the couch and made her sit. Taking the bouquet he, none too gently, hurtled it into the dumpster from the back balcony. Grabbing his phone, he dialed the police station as he sat rubbing her back.

"Tokyo police precinct three, how may I help you?" a little too cutesy female voice answered.

"This is Ryoji Fujioka, I'm calling to add to Noriko Ichinose's case."

"Please hold," the operator instructed as she transferred him.

"Hello, Mr. Fujioka?" a male voice asked.

"I'm here. It's happened again." He stated bluntly.

The male audibly sighed, "Mr. Reiner is locked up tight, I can assure you. As for these little gifts Ms. Ichinose keeps receiving; they are not coming from the jailhouse, so we have no control over the situation."

"You listen and listen good! I don't know who he's having do this, or how he knows where she resides, but I do know that if he is the same man I knew sixteen years ago, these are not idle threats." Ryoji ground out as politely as possible.

"We monitor his every move, sir. There is no possible way for him to escape." The male said what every other officer they had spoken to did; it was like they had it memorized.

"So, again, there's nothing you can do?" he asked irately.

"I'm sorry sir, but no."

Ryoji growled, "Thank you, goodbye."

He put his phone on the cushion beside him, despite his desire to chuck it across the room. Taking Noriko in his full embrace, he comforted her until she calmed. He watched helplessly as his best friend once again, put on a brave face for their girls.


End file.
